Definition of triptych - What it is, Meaning and Concept

A triptic is a writing table that is divided into three sheets , so that the sides can be folded over the center one., whether developed on plates of wood, metal, paper or other material, are decorated with reliefs.It is worth mentioning that they are considered works of art.

Tables consisting of two sheets are known as diptychs , while those with more than three leaves are called polypics .The triptychs were very common among the Romans, who considered them luxury items.It is known as consular to the diptychs or triptychs who gave away the consulates of the empire to their friends as a bonus.

While the etymology of the word triptic has its origins in Ancient Greece, the term began to be used during medieval times, to name a tablet used by the anti Roman Guos for writing and consisting of three panels.

The triptychs were also used by painters belonging to the Flemish school (which covered the final Gothic style, the Baroque, the Renaissance and Mannerism) during the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.Unfortunately, much of the work done in that They present a considerable deterioration at the time or they do not retain 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 his panel has remained central.

The format of the triptych has inspired designs that are far from writing and painting, as is the case with certain pendants and ornaments.Very often they present in their central part an image or a figure, which is protected by the sides , once they fold towards the middle, as if it were two doors.

The modern notion of triptych is associated with any three-leaf publication, whose two side sheets can be folded over the center sheet.Triptychs are very common for the development of advertising catalogs or informative materials.

The commercial triplets are the informative brochures that can be folded in three parts and that usually have dimensions similar to a letter size sheet.These triptychs are delivered for the promotion of events and it is common that organize as follows: on the front side, the description of the event (date, venue, etc.) and the institution that carries it out appear; in the three faces of the center, the guests, participants and contents of the activities are detailed; on the back, finally, the data for the inscription and the request for information are mentioned.

Many times, the choice of design in triptych is as random as that of any other format; However, its particular disposition offers a series of interesting advantages, such as being very familiar to the eyes of people (given its popularity), which facilitates the schematization of specific information and which, depending on the size of the chosen sheet, can be saved inside a notebook or book to prevent it from deteriorating.

There are also the digital triptychs , which are computer documents with a provision similar to the publication of three sheets.Generally, this variety of triptychs can be viewed interactively, that is, by manipulating the leaves with the mouse pointer and seeing a three-dimensional representation of the document, whose sheets fold realistically.

Among the advantages of the digital format, there is the possibility of searching for text strings and expanding the triptych to improve the reading conditions; In addition, as in all virtual documents, its distribution is very simple and more environmentally friendly than its paper alternative.