diptych

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diptych. A picture or other work of art consisting of two equal-sized parts facing one another like the pages of a book. Diptychs are usually fairly small in size and often the two parts are hinged together so the work could be folded when not in use and easily transported. The type seems to have originated in ivory carvings in the late Roman Empire. Initially they were used for writing tablets, the outer surfaces being carved, with wax on the hollowed inner surfaces. They were sometimes used to commemorate family events such as weddings, but they were mainly used to mark the appointment of a new consul; it became the custom for the office holder to distribute such panels as gifts to friends, relatives, and persons of rank. The earliest ‘consular diptych’ to survive is of 428, and the practice ceased in 541. Because they can be precisely dated by the name of the official they bear, they are important tools in scholarship of the period. Many were later reused for Christian purposes, and in the Middle Ages the diptych became a popular format for portable altarpieces; the Wilton Diptych (see International Gothic) is the most celebrated example. See also polyptych and triptych.

diptych. A picture or other work of art consisting of two equal-sized parts facing one another like the pages of a book. Diptychs are usually fairly small in size and often the two parts are hinged together so the work could be folded when not in use and easily transported. The type seems to have originated in ivory carvings in the late Roman empire. Initially they were used for writing tablets, the outer surfaces being carved, with wax on the hollowed inner surfaces. They were sometimes used to commemorate family events such as weddings, but they were mainly used to mark the appointment of a new consul; it became the custom for the office holder to distribute such panels as gifts to friends, relatives, and persons of rank. The earliest ‘consular diptych’ to survive is of 428, and the practice ceased in 541. Because they can be precisely dated by the name of the official they bear, they are important tools in scholarship of the period. Many were later reused for Christian purposes, and in the Middle Ages the diptych became a popular format for portable altarpieces; the Wilton Diptych (see INTERNATIONAL GOTHIC) is the most celebrated example. See also Polyptych and triptych.

diptych an ancient writing tablet consisting of two hinged leaves with waxed inner sides for writing on with a stylus; the word is recorded in English in this sense from the early 17th century.

Diptychs in the early Church were tablets recording a list of the living and the dead who were prayed for at the Eucharist; the word also denoted the names themselves, and the intercessions in the course of which they were introduced.

From the early 19th century, diptych has been used for a painting, especially an altarpiece, on two hinged wooden panels which may be closed like a book.

The word comes via late Latin from late Greek diptukha ‘pair of writing tablets’, from Greek diphtukhos ‘folded in two’.

dip·tych / ˈdiptik/ • n. 1. a painting, esp. an altarpiece, on two hinged wooden panels that may be closed like a book. 2. an ancient writing tablet consisting of two hinged leaves with waxed inner sides.

diptych two-leaved hinged tablet for writing. XVII. — late L. diptycha — late Gr. díptukha, n. pl. of díptukhos double-folded, f. DI- 2 + ptukhḗ fold.

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