A polyptych (/ˈpɒlɪptɪk/ POL-ip-tik; Greek: poly- "many" and ptychē "fold") is a work of art (usually a panel painting) which is divided into sections, or panels. Some definitions restrict "polyptych" to works with more than three sections: a diptych is a two-part work of art; a triptych is a three-part work; a tetraptych or quadriptych has four parts; a pentaptych has five parts. The great majority of historical examples are paintings with religious subjects, but in the 20th century the format became popular again for portraits and other subjects, in painting, photography, and other media.
Historically, polyptychs were panel paintings that typically displayed one "central" or "main" panel that was usually the largest; the other panels are called "side" panels, or if hinged, "wings". Folding forms were much more common north of the Alps. Sometimes, as evident in the Ghent Altarpiece and Isenheim Altarpiece, the hinged panels can be varied in arrangement to show different "views" or "openings" in the piece, because the wing panels are painted with images on both sides. The wings were usually kept folded shut, showing the "closed" view, except on Sundays or feast-days, or if visitors paid the sacristan for a sight of the "open" view. The upper panels often depict static scenes, while the lower register, the predella, often depict small narrative scenes.
