Editing Triptych (section)

{{Short description|Artwork divided into three parts}}
{{Other uses}}
[[File:Annunciation Triptych (Merode Altarpiece) MET DP273206.jpg|thumb|The ''[[Merode Altarpiece]]'', attributed to the workshop of [[Robert Campin]], c. 1427–32]]
[[File:Nürnberg St. Lorenz Dreikönigsaltar 01.jpg|thumb|Dreikönigsaltar by [[Hans Pleydenwurff]].1460-1465]]
[[File:El jardín de las Delicias, de El Bosco.jpg|thumb|[[Hieronymus Bosch]], ''[[The Garden of Earthly Delights]]'', 1490–1510. [[Museo del Prado]], Madrid]]
[[Image:Gallen Kallela The Aino Triptych.jpg|thumb|The ''[[Aino (mythology)|Aino Myth]]'', the ''[[Kalevala]]'' based triptych painted by [[Akseli Gallen-Kallela]] in 1891. [[Ateneum]], Helsinki]]
A '''triptych''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|r|ɪ|p|t|ɪ|k}} {{respell|TRIP|tik}}) is a work of [[art]] (usually a [[panel painting]]) that is divided into three sections, or three [[Wood carving|carved]] panels that 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. The form can also be used for [[pendant]] jewelry.

Beyond its association with art, the term is sometimes used more generally to connote anything with three parts, particularly if integrated into a single unit.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/triptych |title=Triptych |quote=Although triptych originally described a specific type of Roman writing tablet that had three hinged sections, it is not surprising that the idea was generalized first to a type of painting, and then to anything composed of three parts. |work=[[Merriam-Webster Dictionary]] |access-date=January 28, 2017}}</ref>