This panel comes from the predella (the lowest part) of an altarpiece made for the church of San Domenico, Fiesole, near Florence. Its figures look towards the central panel, which shows Christ resurrected from the dead.
Lined up in neat rows are – from top to bottom – 21 biblical figures regarded by the Christian Church as precursors of Christ, male martyr saints and female martyr saints. The top row includes only one New Testament figure: Saint John the Baptist, holding a cross and wearing a camel skin tunic. He looks directly at us and points towards Christ; in the Gospel of John he announced Christ’s ministry and significance as the son of God.
The male martyrs include Saint Stephen, heading up the middle row. He wears green and has a stone on his shoulder, a reference to his stoning. Below him, in red, is Saint Thecla, the first female martyr.
This panel was originally placed to the right of another, which shows Christ after his resurrection – and its figures look towards him. Both panels are from the predella of the altarpiece of San Domenico, in Fiesole, near Florence.
The top row shows 21 of Christ’s biblical predecessors, those interpreted by the Christian Church as foretelling or prefiguring him. The middle row consists solely of male saints who were martyred for their faith; the bottom row, female martyr saints. They carry palms, the symbol of martyrdom.
Some of the figures in the top row carry scrolls that identify them, such as the prophet Jeremiah, in red, whose scroll is inscribed: YEREMIA. Next to him is Ezekiel, in a blue cap inscribed above the brim in tiny black script: EZECIEL. The row is headed up by Adam, depicted, as was common, as an old man with a flowing grey beard; Christ was often described as the ‘new Adam’ for renewing humanity’s relationship with God. Saint John the Baptist is the only New Testament figure in this row. He stands at the centre, looking directly out to us. He holds a cross in his left hand and with his right he points towards Christ, echoing his role in the Gospels as the one who foretold Christ’s divinity.
The male martyrs in the middle row are identified either by inscriptions or by the objects they hold. So, for example, the second and third in the row are the bishop saint Cyprian and Saint Clement, a first-century pope. Their names are inscribed on their headgear – a mitre and papal tiara respectively. Behind them, two saints are shown with the instruments of their torture. Saint Vincent rests his hand on a large flat grey stone – this is the millstone that drowned him. Next to him Saint Lawrence is shown with the grill upon which he was burned alive.
The bottom row is reserved for female saints. Saint Anne, the Virgin’s mother, wears a soft lilac robe and kneels at the front in devotion. Behind her is Saint Thecla,the first female martyr, a contemporary of the apostle Paul. She is placed just below Saint Stephen, in green, the first male martyr. The saint holding the lamb is Agnes, her name relating to the Latin for ‘Lamb of God’, Agnus dei. Towards the back, the saint in pink with the cross under her arm is Saint Helena, the Byzantine empress who found the relic of Christ’s cross. At the very back are certain nun-saints dressed in their habits, including Saint Bridget of Sweden, who holds a lighted candle.
As in the panel to the left of the central scene, this one also includes some silver leaf – now blackened – in the decoration of the saints' costumes: look for the helmet of a saint wearing armour, towards the back of the middle row.
