Stories of the Sacred Girdle

We are faced with a predella, that is, the lower part of a polyptych consisting of a horizontal band. The predella, only 27 centimetres high and over 2 meters long, is divided into five panels. It was placed under a large altarpiece, unfortunately lost, originally located in Saint Stephen’s parish church, or the present Cathedral of Prato.
Bernardo Daddi, one of Giotto’s most famous scholars, painted a sequence of scenes regarding the legend of the Sacred Girdle. The latter is the relic the Virgin Mary gave Saint Thomas during Her Ascension and that, following the tradition, is preserved in Prato since 1141.
In the first frame, the Apostles are around the empty tomb of the Virgin Mary; on the right, Saint Thomas, with a green mantle, shows people the girdle in green yarn and with golden embroidery, which the Virgin gave him as She ascended into Heaven.
In the second frame, Saint Thomas and the other Apostles entrust the girdle to a priest in the Holy Land.
In the third frame, moving forward in time, the scene shifts to the 12th century. The Prato merchant, Michele, marries Maria in Palestine. The latter - descendant of the priest who had been entrusted with the relic- wears a red wedding dress (as the tradition of the time dictated), while he wears a long dress and cap. Observing and blessing them is Maria's mother, who, in the next scene - always inside the same frame - gives a basket filled with reeds containing the precious girdle as a dowry for her daughter. 
The fourth frame depicts Michele embarking on the journey to Prato with his wife. However, according to tradition, Maria perishes at sea during the crossing. Once the now widowed Michele reaches Prato, as shown in the following scene, he sleeps on the chest containing the girdle to prevent theft. However, two angels lift and place him on the floor, so as to honour the relic's sacredness.
Finally, in the last frame, Michele, on his deathbed, entrusted the basket with the Girdle to the head of Saint Stephen’s parish church, in 1173.
The five squares are divided by fine gilded bands and geometric decorations. 
The figures in Bernardo Daddi's artwork, which is characterized by a successful narrative effect, are rendered with fluid and elegant brushstrokes, reflecting the tendencies of late Gothic art.