Altarpiece of St Cathrine's Church, Zwickau [predella]

The predella — the horizontal base panel of an altarpiece, positioned below the main central image — traditionally depicted the Last Supper or a narrative scene from the Passion that served as a theological foundation for the images above. Cranach's 1518 predella for the Zwickau St Catherine's altarpiece would have been viewed by worshippers at altar level, making its subject matter accessible for close devotional reading in a way that the elevated upper panel was not. The predella's lower position gave it an intimate relationship with the altar table where the Eucharist was celebrated, making the Last Supper especially appropriate.

The predella's horizontal format — wide and relatively low — determined a different compositional approach from the vertical panels of wings and central image. Cranach arranges figures across the width of the predella panel, creating a frieze-like composition appropriate for narrative scenes like the Last Supper or Pietà.