PROVENANCE: Collection of Lord Somers, Eastnor Castle, England; Wildenstein and Co., New York; BJU, 1959.

Traditionally, the bottom part of a panel painting, called a predella, holds a series of smaller panels, which together form the chronology of a saint's life. Over time, many predellas and polyptychs were cut apart and sold separately, making panel paintings with intact predellas such as this one rare indeed. From left to right, the panels show scenes from the life of Mary Magdelene, compiled from various church legends.

Gerini's figures typically have large chins, sloping foreheads, and sharp noses. The figures are squat and frontally displaced, characteristics typical of the late Gothic period.