Predella Panel from an Altarpiece: St. Catherine of Siena Invested with the Dominican Habit1460s · Study 1966.2

Context from the museum

Saint Catherine (1347–1380) was the daughter of a prosperous Sienese cloth dyer. At the age of six, she saw a vision of Christ and thereafter dedicated herself to chastity, penance, and good works. She became extremely popular in Siena when she selflessly cared for the sick and dying victims of the bubonic plague, known as the Black Death. These panels were once part of a predella (or pedestal) of a large altarpiece painted for the Hospital Church of Siena. The main scene of this altarpiece, showing the Presentation of Christ in the Temple (now preserved in Siena) was ordered by the Pork Butchers Guild (the Pizzicaiuoli) in 1447. The predella was added later when Catherine was canonized in 1461. In the first panel she kneels before an altar and reaches up to choose from the monastic garments offered by Saints Dominic, Augustine, and Francis, all founders of religious orders. Catherine takes the habit of Saint Dominic, which she wore as the founder of the Sisters of Penance. The second panel shows, at the right, Saint Catherine giving her cloak to a threadbare beggar. The beggar was really Christ in disguise, and at the left he returns the cloak to her. For this act of charity, the cloak perpetually protected its wearer from the cold.

Museum description reproduced from its CC0 open-access record. Read the original catalog entry.

A detail to notice

Saint Dominic can be identified by his black and white habit and the lilies he holds.

Observation supplied by the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Read the dimensions before the image

The selected unframed measurement for Predella Panel from an Altarpiece: St. Catherine of Siena Invested with the Dominican Habit is 23 cm wide and 28.9 cm high, equivalent to approximately 9.1 × 11.4 inches. Dividing width by height gives a format ratio of 0.80:1. The rectangular bounding area is 0.07 square meters; it describes the measured footprint, not the amount of paint or the monetary value.

On an illustrative 300 cm wall, the recorded width occupies 7.7% of the span before adding a frame. A centered placement leaves approximately 138.5 cm on each side before adding a frame. These are calculations by Physical Art For Crypto using museum measurements. They are not the museum’s display recommendations.

Questions to bring to your own collection

With Predella Panel from an Altarpiece: St. Catherine of Siena Invested with the Dominican Habit in view, identify one feature you can point to, then distinguish what the museum records from your personal response. Keep its medium, tempera and gold on wood panel, in your notes when comparing contemporary works.

• Which part of this vertical composition catches your eye first?
• Would a 23 cm width still suit the space after allowing for furniture and a frame?
• What surface detail would you need to see in person or in a close photograph?