Maria mit Kind und Heiligen

The Virgin and Child with Saints

Narrative scenes that generally appear in the predella, the tier below a large altarpiece, are here represented on the plinth of the Virgin's throne. Unusually, they read from right to left, beginning with the Nativity and concluding with Christ among the Doctors.

The Virgin was identified as the second Eve, through whom mankind would be saved, hence the representation of Adam and Eve below her feet. The paintings beside the arch show the Sacrifice of Isaac, on the right, and probably Esther before Ahasuerus. These Old Testament episodes were believed to prefigure Christ's sacrifice and the exceptional purity of the Virgin.