The Harrowing of Hell (Diptych Panel)

This ivory relief depicts the scene of the Harrowing of Hell, where Christ is shown on the left wearing a simple robe and holding a cross-staff. Under his feet, he treads upon the distorted, demonic head of a personified Hell. Christ extends his hands to grasp the wrists of Adam and Eve, who are depicted as small, nude figures emerging from a cavernous space on the right, which is shaped like the gaping mouth of a beast. A small figure, possibly a prophet or soul, emerges from the upper right, raising an arm in a gesture of recognition or salvation.

This iconography represents the 'Harrowing of Hell' (Descensus Christi ad Inferos), a pivotal theological event rooted in the apocryphal Gospel of Nicodemus, which posits that Christ descended into the underworld between his crucifixion and resurrection to liberate the righteous souls of the Old Testament.