Christ on the Cross between the Virgin and Saints Mary Magdalene and John the Evangelist; left panel: The Agony in the Garden and Saints Peter and Paul; right panel: Saints Catherine of Alexandria and Margaret of Antioch, Saints James Major and Benedict

This portable tabernacle, dated 1334 on its base, is a fine example of a category of objects that became popular for private devotional use in the late thirteenth century. When closed, the wings protect the gilded and painted surfaces, so that the tabernacle can be moved without damage. Bernardo reduces the elements in the painting to the essential, prompting the beholder’s devotion and prayers. In the central panel the seated Virgin and Saint John appear mournful and resigned when contrasted with the Magdalene buttressing the cross. The wings are lined with standing saints who prominently display their attributes. The solitary figure of Christ praying in the Garden at Gethsemane rarely occurs in fourteenth-century painting.