In the Early Renaissance, a rich, spiritually minded merchant would often want to honor God for his good fortune. As a devout believer, he prayed at home and would commission a triptych, which was a small, three-paneled painting to be placed in a niche as his personal shrine. The panels, compact and mobile, were often hinged so they could be closed when not in use.
A triptych is three panels that work as one. It  can tell a story going from one direction to another, or have the side panels further embellish the story depicted in the center.
Later, churches commissioned larger triptychs to be positioned above their main altars. Accomplished artists accommodated these requests with beautiful paintings on each panel that told an important religious story. The back of the piece was also painted and, when closed, could display more of the story on the back of the panels….