Triptych

For other uses, see Triptych (disambiguation).

The Byzantine Harbaville Triptych (10th century)

A triptych ( /ˈtrɪptɪk/ trip-tik; (from the Greek adjective τρίπτυχοs ("three-fold"), from tri-= "three" + ptysso= "to fold") is a work of art (usually a panel painting) which is divided into three sections, or three carved panels which are hinged together and can be folded shut or displayed open. It is therefore a type of polyptych, the term for all multi-panel works. The middle panel is typically the largest and it is flanked by two smaller related works, although there are triptychs of equal-sized panels.

While the root of the word is the ancient Greek "triptychos", the word arose into the medieval period from the name for an Ancient Roman writing tablet, which had two hinged panels flanking a central one. The form can also be used for pendant jewelry.

In art

The Verdun Altar in Klosterneuburg Monastery

The triptych form arises from early Christian art, and was a popular standard format for altar paintings from the Middle Ages onwards. Its geographical range was from the eastern Byzantine churches to the English Celtic churches in the west. Renaissance painters and sculptors such as Hans Memling and Hieronymus Bosch used the form. Triptych forms also allow ease of transport.

From the Gothic period onward, both in Europe and elsewhere, altarpieces in churches and cathedrals were often in triptych form. One such cathedral with an altarpiece triptych is Llandaff Cathedral. The Cathedral of Our Lady in Antwerp, Belgium, contains two examples by Rubens, and Notre Dame de Paris is another example of the use of triptych in architecture. One can also see the form echoed by the structure of many ecclesiastical stained glass windows. Although most famous as an altarpiece form, triptyches outside that context have been created, most prominently by Hieronymus Bosch, Max Beckmann, and Francis Bacon.

Examples

Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion. Francis Bacon, 1944

• The Annunciation and Two Saints - Simone Martini
• The Merode Altarpiece - Robert Campin
• The Garden of Earthly Delights and The Haywain Triptych - Hieronymus Bosch
• The Portinari Altarpiece - Hugo Van Der Goes
• The Raising of the Cross - Peter Paul Rubens
• Departure - Max Beckmann
• Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion - Francis Bacon
• The pioneer (painting) - Frederick McCubbin
• Compton Triptych sculpture

See also

• Category:Triptychs
• Diptych
• Triptychs of Francis Bacon
• Polyvision simultaneously projects three reels of film arrayed in a horizontal row and was developed and used by Abel Gance in the final reel of his 1927 film Napoléon

External links

• metmuseum.org image of tablet
• More on as writing instrument
• Artwork and photographs as Triptychs