Description
Christ in Limbo in the Alte Pinakothek belonged to the same seven-scene cycle from the life of Christ as the Last Supper and Crucifixion also preserved in Munich. The panel shows Christ entering the realm of the dead after the Crucifixion in order to release the righteous who had awaited redemption. Although the episode is not narrated in this form in the canonical Gospels, it became a major subject in medieval Christian tradition.
Christ occupies the left side of the composition and advances toward a compact group emerging from the darkness of a rocky opening. His body leans forward and his arm reaches toward the saved, creating direct physical contact between Redeemer and redeemed. Giotto creates a compact human group in which heads overlap and bodies crowd physically toward Christ.
