Two wood, ivory or metal panels of equal size, usually hinged together so that they can be folded, and closed with some form of clasp. There are usually images on the inside surfaces of the panels and sometimes also on the outer sides. The panels are most commonly vertical rectangles; Gothic examples often have gables, while those from the 15th century may be round-headed.

• altarpieces
  • Altar, §II, 3(i)(c): Western European, to c 1550: Monumental decoration
  • Altar, §II, 4(i): Roman Catholic, after c 1550: Monumental
  • Altarpiece
  • Altarpiece, §1: Definition
  • Altarpiece, §2: Historical overview
  • Collecting, §3: Paintings
  • Display of art, §II, 1: Painting, before c 1500
  • Oil sketch
  • Panel painting, §2(iii): Manufacture
  • Predella
  • conservation
    • Panel painting, §3(iii): Conservation: Reconstruction
  • historical and regional traditions
    • Argentina see RETABLES
    • Austria
      • Austria, §IV, 2: Sculpture, c 1400–c 1600: Late Gothic and Renaissance
      • Baroque
        • Unterberger: (1) Michael Angelo Unterberger
      • Gothic
        • Frueauf: (2) Rueland Frueauf
      • 15th cent.
        • Pacher, Michael, §2: The St Wolfgang Altarpiece
    • Beguines
      • Beguines, §2: Iconography
    • Belgium
      • Baroque
        • Baroque, §2: The modern concept
      • Early Netherlandish style
        • Bellegambe, Jean
        • Eyck, van: (1) Hubert van Eyck, §2: Works
        • Juan de Flandes
        • Memling, Hans, §1(iii): Late years, after 1480
        • Symbol, §3: Indirect symbolism
      • Gothic
        • Borman
        • Gothic, §III, 2(ii)(b): Wood sculpture in the Low Countries, 1300–1350
        • Gothic, §III, 2(ii)(c): Wood sculpture in the Low Countries, 1350–1430
      • Renaissance
        • Cleve, van (i): (1) Joos van Cleve, §1: Before c 1523
        • Coxcie, Michiel
      • 15th cent.
        • Polyptych
    • Benin, Kingdom of
      • Benin, §2: Social organization
    • Bolivia see RETABLES
    • Brazil see RETABLES
    • Byzantine
      • Bust, §II: Early Christian, Byzantine and medieval
    • Catalonia see RETABLES
    • Colombia see RETABLES
    • Cuba see RETABLES
    • Czech Republic
      • Willmann, Michael
    • Denmark
      • Denmark, §III, 1: Painting and graphic arts, before c 1540
      • Denmark, §III, 2: Painting and graphic arts, c 1540–1840
      • Denmark, §IV, 1: Sculpture, before c 1540
      • Frame, §VII, 3: Scandinavia: Mannerist
    • Ecuador see RETABLES
    • England
      • Frame, §IV, 1: Britain: Medieval
    • France
      • Gothic
        • Masters, anonymous, and monogrammists, §I: Master of the Parement de Narbonne
        • Masters, anonymous, and monogrammists, §I: Master of St Giles
      • 15th cent.
        • Marmion, Simon, §2(i): Life and work, to c 1474
    • Germany
      • Altarpiece, §2(ii)(b): Forms and development: c 1400– c 1600
      • Germany, §IV, 2(i)(b): Sculpture, c 1400–c 1600: Altarpieces
      • Landscape painting, §II, 7(i): 19th century: Romantic era
      • Baroque
        • Degler, Hans
      • Gothic
        • Altarpiece, §2(ii)(a): Forms and development: Before c 1400
        • Frame, §VI, 1(i): German and Central European Gothic: Altarpieces
        • Germany, §III, 2: Painting and graphic arts, c 1400–c 1600
        • Gothic, §IV, 2(ii): Panel painting
        • Notke, Bernt, §2: Ecclesiastical commissions for paintings, carved works and sculpture
        • Stoss, Veit, §1(i)(d): Sculpture: Late works, c 1516 and later
      • Gothic: Early Gothic
        • Germany, §IV, 1(ii): Gothic sculpture
      • Gothic: Late Gothic
        • Riemenschneider, Tilman, §1(i): Life and work, before 1504
        • Riemenschneider, Tilman, §1(ii): Life and work, 1504–31
      • Renaissance
        • Breu: (1) Jörg Breu (i), §1: Early works in Austria, to 1502
        • Grünewald, Matthias, §2(i): Works, to mid-1516
      • Rococo
        • Altarpiece, §2(ii)(c): Forms and development: After c 1600
      • 14th cent.
        • Bertram Master, §2(ii): Grabow Altarpiece
        • Bertram Master, §2(iii): Late works
      • 15th cent.
        • Conrad von Soest, §1: Life and work
        • Mälesskircher, Gabriel
        • Moser, Lukas
        • Wolgemut, Michael, §2(i): Altarpieces
        • Zeitblom, Bartholomäus
      • 16th cent.
        • Leinberger, Hans
        • Masters, anonymous, and monogrammists, §I: Master of the Aachen Altar
        • Traut: (1) Hans Traut von Speyer II
        • Traut: (2) Wolf Traut
        • Weiditz: (1) Hans Weiditz (i)
      • 17th cent.
        • Candid, Peter, §2: Munich, 1586–1628
        • Sandrart, Joachim von, §1: Painting career
        • Walbaum, Matthias
      • 18th cent.
        • Schönborn
    • Gothic
      • Gilding, §II, 2: Uses: Sculpture
      • Gothic, §IV, 1(i): Painting: Ecclesiastical patronage and subject-matter
      • Gothic, §VI, 7: Painted enamels
      • Panel painting, §1: History
      • Catalonia
        • Huguet, Jaume
      • Holy Roman Empire (before 1648)
        • Gothic, §III, 2(iii)(a): Wood sculpture in the Holy Roman Empire: Introduction
        • Gothic, §III, 2(iii)(b): Wood sculpture in the Holy Roman Empire, 1300–1420
      • Italy
        • Cini: (1) Bartolo di Fredi Cini
        • Cione: (1) Andrea di Cione, §2: Mature works, 1348–60
        • Duccio, §I, 2(i): Documented works, 1285–1311: The Rucellai Madonna
        • Duccio, §I, 3(ii): Attributed works, 1285–c 1314: Associated with the Maestà
        • Gothic, §IV, 5(v): Painting: Italy, c 1265–c 1320
        • Masters, anonymous, and monogrammists, §I: Master of the Mascoli Altar
        • Venice, §IV, 1(v): S Marco: Pala d’Oro
      • Italy: Gothic (Late)
        • Lorenzo Monaco, §1(i): Life and work, before 1414
        • Lorenzo Monaco, §1(ii): Life and work, 1414 and after
      • Italy: International Gothic
        • Gentile da Fabriano, §1(i): Fabriano, Venice and Brescia, c. 1385–1420
        • Gentile da Fabriano, §1(ii): Florence and Siena, 1420–27
      • Late Gothic
        • Late Gothic
      • Netherlands, the
        • Gothic, §III, 2(d): Wood sculpture in the Low Countries, 1430–1530
      • Norway
        • Frame, §VII, 1: Scandinavia: Medieval
        • Gothic, §IV, 5(iv): Painting: Scandinavia and the Iberian Peninsula, c 1230–c 1340
      • Poland
        • Stoss, Veit, §1(i)(b): Sculpture: Kraków, 1477–96
      • Slovakia
        • Levoca
        • Slovakia, §IV: Sculpture
      • Spain
        • Frame, §VIII, 1(ii)(b): Spanish Gothic retables: Development
      • Sweden
        • Gothic, §III, 2(iv)(b): Scandinavian wood sculpture: 14th century
        • Sweden, §IV, 1: Sculpture, before c 1650
    • Guatemala see RETABLES
    • Hungary
      • Hungary, §III, 2: Sculpture, c 1520–c 1800
      • Székesfehérvár
    • Italy
      • Frame, §II, 2: Italian Pre-Renaissance
      • Iconographic programmes, §2: c 1420–c 1550
      • Panel painting, §2(ii): Construction
      • Sacra conversazione
      • Baroque
        • Domenichino, §1(iii): Bologna and Fano, 1617–21
        • Franceschini, Marcantonio, §1(iii): Major decorative works, 1690–c 1710
        • Guidi, Domenico
        • Mazzanti, Ludovico
        • Naples, §II, 3: Art life and organization, c 1600–c 1700
      • Mannerism
        • Bedoli, Girolamo Mazzola
        • Giorgione, §I, 1(iii)(e): Early sources: Ridolfi
        • Titian, §I, 2(i)(d): Early success, 1516–mid-1540s: Religious and mythological pictures
      • Order of Poor Clares
        • Poor Clares, Order of
      • Renaissance
        • Angelico, Fra, §I, 2: c 1433–9
        • Antonello da Messina, §1(iii): Trip to Venice, 1475–6
        • Bellini: (3) Giovanni Bellini, §II, 2: Style and development, c 1470–c 1500
        • Biagio d’Antonio
        • Boltraffio, Giovanni Antonio, §2: After c 1500
        • Conservation and restoration, §II, 2(i): Restoration techniques: Painting
        • Costa: (1) Lorenzo Costa (i)
        • Domenico Veneziano, §1(i): Early works, to mid-1440s
        • Ferrucci: (2) Andrea di Piero Ferrucci
        • Francia: (1) Francesco Francia, §2: 1500–06
        • Garofalo
        • Leonardo da Vinci, §I, 1: First Florentine period, 1472–c 1482
        • Lippi: (1) Filippo Lippi, §1(ii): Life and work, 1437–52
        • Lotto, Lorenzo, §1(ii): Bergamo, 1513–25
        • Lotto, Lorenzo, §2(i): Religious work
        • Luini, Bernardino, §1: Life and work
        • Mantegna, Andrea, §I, 1(iv)(c): Mantua, c 1490–1506: Altarpieces
        • Masaccio, §I, 1(v): Training and early years, to c 1426: The Pisa Altarpiece
        • Masters, anonymous, and monogrammists, §II: Master of 1419
        • Montagna: (1) Bartolomeo Montagna, §1(ii): Maturity, c 1485–1509
        • Naples, §II, 2: Art life and organization, 1442–c 1600
        • Neri di Bicci, §1(ii): Life and work, after 1452
        • Pavia, §2(i)(b): Certosa: Sculpture
        • Perugino, §I, 4(ii): c 1495–1500: Florentine works
        • Piero della Francesca, §I, 1(iii): Early works: The Baptism
        • Robbia, della: (2) Andrea della Robbia
        • Roberti, Ercole de’, §1: Early work, 1473–82
        • Sassetta, §1(ii): Middle years, 1431–44
        • Ugolino di Nerio
        • Vecchietta, §1: Before c 1465
        • Zenale, Bernardo
      • Renaissance: High Renaissance
        • Bartolommeo, Fra, §1(i)(b): Paintings, 1504–8
        • Bartolommeo, Fra, §1(i)(c): Paintings, 1509–13
      • 14th cent.
        • Bulgarini, Bartolommeo
        • Giotto, §I, 3(ii): Major Florentine paintings
        • Segna di Bonaventura
      • 15th cent.
        • Bréa, Louis
        • Giovanni di Paolo, §1: To 1430
        • Masters, anonymous, and monogrammists, §I: Master of the Osservanza
        • Starnina, Gherardo
      • 16th cent.
        • Anselmi, Michelangelo
        • Tito, Santi di, §1(i): Florence, Rome and Venice, to c 1575
        • Tito, Santi di, §1(iii): Florence, 1588–1602
    • Mexico see RETABLES
    • Netherlands, the
      • Blocklandt, Anthonie
    • Peru see RETABLES
    • Poland
      • Poland, §IV, 2: Sculpture, c 1250–c 1520
    • Portugal see RETABLES
    • Spain see RETABLES
    • Sweden
      • Sweden, §III, 1: Painting and graphic arts, before c 1550
    • Yoruba
      • Yoruba, §II, 2(ii): Figurative sculpture: Deities
  • materials
    • alabaster (gypsum)
      • Alabaster, §2(ii)(a): Europe, before c 1540
      • Chanterene, Nicolau, §3: Later work, from 1527
    • bone
      • Embriachi
    • frames
      • Frame, §I, 2: Stylistic overview
    • gold leaf
      • Gilding, §I, 1(ii): Leaf decoration
    • ivory
      • Gothic, §VII, 2(iv): Ivories: First half of the 14th century
      • Gothic, §VII, 2(vi)(c): Ivories: Rhineland and Meuse region
      • Ivory, §3(ii): Medieval
  • techniques
    • gilding
      • Gilding, §II, 1: Uses: Painting
    • tracery
      • Schnitzaltar
  • types
    • diptychs
      • Belgium
        • Goes, Hugo van der, §3: Stylistic development
      • Byzantine
        • Early Christian and Byzantine art, §VI, 1(i): Icons: Development and use
      • Early Christian (c. AD 250-843)
        • Carolingian art, §VI, 1: Ivories, before AD 843