Triptych

A triptych is a work of art composed of three panels or sections, usually unified by a shared theme or composition. The central panel is typically the largest, while the two side wings can fold inward to protect the main image. The format originated in early Christian and medieval art, where triptychs functioned as altarpieces for churches and private devotional spaces. The three parts often symbolised the Trinity or allowed a narrative to unfold across a sequence of scenes. During the Renaissance and the Northern Renaissance the triptych flourished in the hands of masters such as Hans Memling and Hieronymus Bosch, whose Garden of Earthly Delights is a celebrated example. In Ukrainian sacred art the tradition of folding devotional images likewise appeared in icon painting and iconostasis design. In the twentieth century artists such as Francis Bacon revived the triptych as a secular form, using three panels for psychological tension and the juxtaposition of images. Today the term also applies to photography, video and installation, where a threefold structure organises the viewer's perception.