Slide 1
A diptych links two panels into one work
A diptych is a work in two parts. The relationship between the panels contributes to its meaning, rather than leaving two unrelated images.
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Historically, paired panels could be hinged and portable. Their physical format allowed an owner to open, close and carry a small devotional work.
Slide 2
Opening the Wilton Diptych establishes their relationship
The Wilton Diptych brings two painted panels together in a small portable object. Opening it establishes a relationship across their shared boundary.
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It was made for Richard II of England. Its royal and devotional elements connect the owner's earthly identity with the sacred figures before whom he is presented.
Slide 3
Gaze and gesture can connect figures across the boundary
Diptychs can use gaze, gesture or direction to connect their parts. A figure on one panel may address a presence on the other.
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The workshop of Dirk Bouts produced a pair showing the grieving Virgin and Christ crowned with thorns. Their emotional relationship becomes clearer when the separated panels are understood together.
Slide 4
Separate collections can obscure the original pairing
Panels that once belonged together can enter separate frames or collections. A surviving part may no longer reveal its original relationship immediately.
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Research can reconstruct pairings through subject, dimensions and object history. The modern display arrangement is therefore not always a reliable guide to the work's first form.
Slide 5
A folding work also has a closed appearance
A folding artwork can have an appearance when closed as well as open. Its material format creates different states of viewing.
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The Wilton Diptych has painted outer surfaces as well as its celebrated interior. Understanding the object includes considering how an owner encountered it before opening the central scene.
Sources
- The Wilton Diptych
National Gallery
- Mater Dolorosa
National Gallery