A vita panel contains a large central image of a saint with smaller illustrations of the life (vita) of the saint surrounding it. During the Middle Ages, most church goers were illiterate and relied on the paintings in their churches to teach Bible stories and the stories of the saints. Faithful believers trusted the saints as heavenly intercessors, and images connected people with the lives and miracles of the saints. This has been postulated as the earliest surviving vita panel of a female saint.

Left top: “Clare’s Relatives Attempt to Retrieve Her.”
Left second: “Clare’s Tonsure.” In this vignette the nimbus (halo) appears as a sign of her spiritual elevation.
Left third: “Clare Meets Francis at the Portiuncula.”
Left bottom: “Clare Receives a Palm from the Bishop of Assisi on Palm Sunday, 1212.”
Right top: “Clare Saves Her Sister and Assists at her Tonsure.” Clare’s sister and mother eventually joined her monastic order.
Right second: “Clare’s Multiplication of Bread.” A miracle attributed to Clare is the multiplication of one last piece of bread.
Right third: “Death of St. Clare.”
Right bottom: “Funeral of St. Clare.” This vignette shows Pope Innocent IV’s attendance at her funeral, due to his recent seal of approval on her written Rule of Life for her Order. Picturing the Pope also elevates her spiritual status. Another thing to notice is the rise in Clare’s
physical statue as she her spiritual stature increases throughout her life.