Triptych

A work of art composed of three panels, often hinged so the outer panels can close over the center. Triptychs can present one continuous scene or related images.

Diptych: An artwork composed of two panels, often joined by hinges. Its two-panel format clarifies what the third panel adds to a triptych.
The Garden of Earthly Delights: A large triptych by Hieronymus Bosch depicting Eden, earthly pleasures, and Hell. Its open and closed states turn a three-panel format into a staged narrative.
Reverse painting: A painted image made on the back of a transparent support and viewed through the front. Closed triptychs can display images painted on the outer faces of their wings.
Christian art: Visual art produced in connection with Christian beliefs, worship, and institutions. Christian devotion and church settings fostered the triptych's historical use.
Christian iconography: The study and use of visual symbols and conventions in Christian art. It helps explain the figures and themes arranged across many devotional triptychs.
Polyptych: An artwork composed of multiple panels, often arranged as a connected sequence. Triptych names the three-panel form within this broader category.
The Merode Altarpiece: An early Netherlandish triptych attributed to the workshop of Robert Campin. Its hinged wings and domestic setting show the format at intimate scale.
Pentaptych: An artwork composed of five panels. It extends the multi-panel sequence beyond the triptych's three-part structure.
Medieval art: Art produced in Europe during the Middle Ages, roughly from the fifth to fifteenth centuries. Many early European triptychs emerged within medieval religious art.
Private devotion: Personal religious practice conducted outside public worship, often at home. Small hinged triptychs could be opened for prayer and closed for protection or discretion.

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