Leaf from the Schatzbehalter with The Descent into Limbo

Michael Wolgemut

1491

Woodcut

Minneapolis Institute of Art

A bearded figure with a halo extends a hand towards a group of nude figures, while a demonic creature sits atop a wall in flames. The scene depicts a descent into a fiery underworld. Illustrators of printed books sought inspiration not just in manuscripts and paintings but also other prints. Although Michael Wolgemut was a leading painter in Nuremberg, he updated his style with a nod to his younger contemporary Martin Schongauer from Colmar, now part of France, whose engravings rapidly circulated throughout Germany. This illustration, extracted from the Schatzbehalter (Treasure Chest or Shrine of True Riches for Salvation and Eternal Blessedness), is clearly based on Schongauer’s engraving Christ in Limbo (see P.68.256). The author, Stephan Fridolin (1430-1498), stated explicitly that the 96 woodcut illustration