3-002-731 - Heritage Art/Heritage Images

Icon of the Descent into Hell, Icon: 19th century; Frame: 18th century. The composition of this icon is known as Anastasis, or the Harrowing of Hell, and it is the traditional iconographic representation of the Resurrection. Christ, standing on Hell's broken gates, pulls Adam and Eve out from their tombs, with crowds of Old Testament kings and other biblical figures behind them. The crowned figure on Christ's left is Zachariah, holding a scroll that reads, "Blessed is..." Christ appears again at the bottom of the frame, leading a group of souls out of Hell as angels beat down hapless demons. The icon is painted in the style of the 16th or 17th century, and a spurious "Andrei Rublev" signature (likely added later) tries to pass it off as even older.