A triptych is a table, sheet or other support that is divided into three segments.
A triptych is a writing board that is divided into three sheets , so that the side sheets can be folded over the center sheet. It is common for triptychs, whether developed on plates of wood, metal, paper or other material, to be decorated with reliefs. It is worth mentioning that they are considered works of art.
Tables that consist of two sheets are known as diptychs , while those that have more than three sheets are called polyptychs . Triptychs were very common among the Romans, who considered them luxury items. The diptychs or triptychs that the consuls of the empire gave to their friends as a bonus are known as consular .
Origin of the triptych
Although the etymology of the word triptych has its origins in Ancient Greece , the term began to be used during medieval times, to give its name to a tablet used by the ancient Romans to write and which consisted of three panels .
Triptychs were also used by painters belonging to the Flemish school (which encompassed the Late Gothic, Baroque, Renaissance and Mannerism styles ) during the 15th and 16th centuries . Unfortunately, a large part of the works carried out at that time show considerable deterioration or do not preserve all their parts. An example of this can be seen in the painting " Descent " , by the celebrated Belgian painter Rogier van der Weyden , of which only its central panel has survived.
Painters from the Flemish school developed highly appreciated triptychs.
The current format
The triptych format has inspired designs that are far from writing and painting, as is the case with certain pendants and decorative items. Very often they present an image or figure in their central part, which is protected by the sides, once they are folded towards the middle, as if they were two doors.
The modern notion of triptych is associated with any three-sheet publication, the two side sheets of which can be folded over the center sheet. Brochures are very common for the development of advertising catalogs or informative materials.
Commercial brochures are information brochures that can be folded into three parts and usually have dimensions similar to a letter-sized sheet. These brochures are delivered for the promotion of events and it is common for them to be organized in the following way: on the front side, the description of the event appears (date, venue, etc.) and the institution that carries it out; On the three sides of the center, the guests, participants and contents of the activities are detailed; Finally, on the back, the data for registration and requesting information are mentioned.
Many times, the choice of triptych design is as random as that of any other format; However, its particular layout offers a series of interesting advantages, such as that it is very familiar to people's eyes (given its popularity), that it facilitates the outlining of specific information and that, depending on the size of the sheet chosen, it can be saved inside a notebook or book to prevent deterioration.
Digital triptychs
There are also digital triptychs , which are computer documents with a layout similar to the three-page publication. Generally, this variety of triptychs can be viewed interactively, that is, by manipulating the sheets with the mouse pointer and seeing a three-dimensional representation of the document, whose sheets fold in a realistic manner.
Among the advantages of the digital format is the possibility of searching for text strings and enlarging the brochure to improve reading conditions; Furthermore, as with all virtual documents, its distribution is very simple and more environmentally friendly than its paper alternative.