But perhaps they consulted Cavarnos, who in his Guide to Byzantine Iconography, Volume One, writes:
In traditional Orthodox iconography, there are several ways of representing the Resurrection of Christ. The most official one is called "The Resurrection" and also "The Descent into Hades." This way of representing the event shows its inner, mystical, cosmic significance. Other depictions are "The Touching of Thomas," "The Myrrh-bearing Women," "Christ Manifesting Himself to the Myrrh-bearing Women," and "The Apostles Peter and John at the Tomb".[...]
The upper part of the icon is inscribed E ANASTASIS ("The Resurrection") or E EIS ADOU KATHODOS ("The Descent into Hades").
Note that regardless of the inscription chosen, it is the same icon can be called in two ways. The second name, however, makes the icon comprehensible to a casual spectator, who may otherwise conjecture that Christ is depicted rising from His own grave.
In an exhibit dedicated to Byzantine influences in the West it is entirely appropriate to translate Hades as Limbo, which designates the same thing.
Hey, hey, you know I was just poking at you, Alex!
Cavarnos is absolutely correct that "The Descent into Hades" is a proper description of that icon. There are many who believe that this is properly *only* a Holy Saturday icon, and not a proper icon for the Resurrection of Christ, since Christ is not rising from the tomb in that icon. They believe, with good justification, that the proper icon of the Resurrection is the one with the angel pointing at the empty tomb with the Myrrhbearing Women looking on.
If Catholicism believes that all of the OT Righteous were in Limbo prior to Christ's resurrection, and that Limbo is the exact equivalent of the Hebrew Sheol, or place of the dead, then their labelling it "Descent into Limbo" can be justified.
My only association with Limbo as a Protestant was regarding it as a place for unbaptized babies to go -- neither heaven nor hell. Do you think that Westerners would have a broader conception of Limbo than that?
The vividness of the Descent into Hades icon explains its popularity as the icon of the Resurrection.