De hellevaart van Christus 1521

Lucas van Leyden’s 1521 engraving *De hellevaart van Christus* depicts the harrowing descent of Christ into Hell. The image shows Christ, with a halo and holding a cross, stepping on the head of a demon as he pulls a damned soul out of Hell. The scene is crowded with demons and the damned, with the figures contorted in agony. The image is an example of Dutch Renaissance art, with its emphasis on detail and realism. *De hellevaart van Christus* remains a powerful and haunting image that explores the theological concept of Christ’s triumph over death.