, the Kalevala'' based triptych by
Akseli Gallen-Kallela, 1891,
Ateneum, Helsinki The triptych form appears in 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 Celtic churches in the west. During the Byzantine period, triptychs were often used for private devotional use, along with other relics such as icons. Renaissance painters such as
Hans Memling and
Hieronymus Bosch used the form. Sculptors also used it. 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. The form is echoed by the structure of many ecclesiastical
stained glass windows. '',
Giotto, c. 1315–20 The triptych form's transportability was exploited during World War Two when a private citizens' committee in the United States commissioned painters and sculptors to create portable three-panel hinged altarpieces for use by Christian and Jewish U.S. troops for religious services. By the end of the war, 70 artists had created 460 triptychs. Among the most prolific were
Violet Oakley,
Nina Barr Wheeler, and
Hildreth Meiere. The triptych format has been used in non-Christian faiths, including, Judaism, Islam, and Buddhism. For example: the triptych
Hilje-j-Sherif displayed at the
National Museum of Oriental Art, Rome, Italy, and a page of the ''
Qur'an'' at the
Museum of Turkish and Islamic Arts in Istanbul, Turkey, exemplify
Ottoman religious art adapting the motif. Likewise, Tibetan Buddhists have used it in traditional altars. Although strongly identified as a religious
altarpiece form, triptychs outside that context have been created, some of the best-known examples being works by
Max Beckmann and
Francis Bacon. When Bacon's 1969 triptych,
Three Studies of Lucian Freud, was sold in 2013 for $142.4 million, it was the highest price ever paid for an artwork at auction at that time. That record was broken in May 2015 by $179.4 million for
Pablo Picasso's 1955 painting
Les Femmes d’Alger.
Examples •
Stefaneschi Triptych by
Giotto, c. 1330 •
Annunciation with St. Margaret and St. Ansanus by
Simone Martini, 1333 • The
Mérode Altarpiece by
Robert Campin, late 1420's ,
The Garden of Earthly Delights, 1490–1510.
Museo del Prado, Madrid •
The Garden of Earthly Delights,
Triptych of the Temptation of St. Anthony and
The Haywain Triptych by
Hieronymus Bosch • The
Portinari Altarpiece by
Hugo van der Goes, c. 1475 • The
Buhl Altarpiece, c. 1495 •
The Raising of the Cross by
Peter Paul Rubens, 1610 or 1611 •
The Aino Myth triptych by
Akseli Gallen-Kallela, 1891 •
The Pioneer by
Frederick McCubbin, 1904 •
Departure by
Max Beckmann, 1932–33 •
Three Studies for Figures at the Base of a Crucifixion by
Francis Bacon, 1944 == In photography ==