A diptych (pronounced "dip-tick" IPA: [ dip'tik] (or US: [ 'dɪp. Phonology North American English regional phonology In many ways compared to English English, North American English is conservative in its Phonology. tɪk ]) from the Greek δίπτυχο [ ði'pti. xo ] di- "two" + ptychē "fold") is any object with two flat plates attached at a hinge. A hinge is a type of bearing that connects two solid objects typically allowing only a limited angle of Rotation between them Devices of this form were quite popular in the ancient world, types existing for recording notes and for measuring time and direction. The term is also used figuratively for a thematically-linked sequence of two books.
In Late Antiquity ivory diptyches with decorated covers were a significant art-form, deriving from the "consular diptych" made to celebrate an individual becoming Roman consul. Late Antiquity (c 300-600 is a Periodization used by historians to describe the transitional centuries from Classical Antiquity to the Middle Ages, in Consul (abbrev cos; Latin plural consules) was the highest elected Political office of the Roman Republic and the Empire. Many of the most important surviving works of the Late roman Empire are diptychs. From the Middle Ages many panel paintings were in diptych form, from small portable works for personal use to large altarpieces. A panel painting is a Painting on a panel made of wood either a single piece or a number of pieces joined together An altarpiece is a picture or Relief representing a religious subject and suspended in a frame behind the Altar of a church These are discussed with other multi-panel forms of painting at polyptych. A polyptych (from the Greek polu- "many" + ptychē "fold" generally refers to a Painting (usually Panel painting
Traditional diptychs are boxwood, with stamped hour lines and lacquered or varnished finishes. In a general sense lacquer is a clear or coloured Varnish, that dries by solvent evaporation and often a curing process as well that produces a hard durable finish in any Varnish is a transparent, hard protective finish or film primarily used in Wood finishing but also for other materials Some were also ivory (superior because it is easiest to read and less prone to wear than wood), or metal (sturdy, harder to read but less expensive than ivory). Ivory is formed from Dentine and constitutes the bulk of the Teeth and Tusks of animals such as the Elephant, Hippopotamus, [1]
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Writing tablet
One form of diptych was like a shallow box. It had two wooden leaves with hollows on the inside edges, filled with wax, and space for a small wooden scriber. Wax has traditionally referred to a substance that is secreted by Bees ( Beeswax) and used by them in constructing their surface of the workpiece to leave a shallow scratch on its surface This permitted one to take waterproof notes in the wax without wasting money on paper. Waterproof or water-resistant describes objects unaffected by water or resisting water passage or which are covered with a material that resists or does not allow water passage The wax could be smoothed and reused. It was probably excellent for shopping lists or other reminders.
Ecclesiastical use
It is in this form that the mention of "diptychs" in early Christian literature is found. A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth The term often refers to official lists of the living and departed that are commemorated by the local church. The living would be inscribed on one wing of the diptych, and the departed on the other. The inscribing of a bishop's name in the diptychs means that the local church considers itself to be in communion with him, the removal of a bishop's name would indicate breaking communion with him. A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight A local church is a Christian religious organization made up of a congregation its members and clergy Full communion is a term used in Christian Ecclesiology to describe the relationship of communion, with mutually recognized sharing of the same essential The word schism (ˈsɪzəm or /ˈskɪzəm/ from the Greek σχίσμα skhísma (from σχίζω skhízō, "to tear to split" The names in the diptychs would be read publicly by the deacon during the Divine Liturgy (Eucharist), and by the priest during the Liturgy of Preparation. Deacon is a role in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind but which varies among theological and denominational traditions The Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine tradition of Christian liturgy. The Eucharist, also called Holy Communion or Lord's Supper and other names is a Christian Sacrament by which in a common interpretation those The Liturgy of Preparation, also Prothesis ( Greek &Pi&rho&omicron&theta&eta&sigma&iota&sigmaf a setting forth or Proskomedia (an offering Diptychs were also used to inscribe the names of the saints. A saint (from the Latin sanctus) is a human being to whom has been attributed (and who has generally demonstrated a high level of Holiness and Sanctity Although the wax tablets themselves are no longer used, the term is still used in the Eastern Orthodox Church to describe the contents of the diptychs, with all the same connotations. The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world
A diptych is also a type of icon whereby two panels are joined together with a hinge, so that they may fold together for protection when travelling, and then be unfolded for veneration when one's destination has been reached. An icon (from Greek εἰκών eikōn, "image" is a religious work of art most commonly a painting from Eastern Christianity. In Christianity, veneration ( Latin veneratio, Greek &delta&omicron&upsilon&lambda&iota&alpha dulia) or veneration of saints Such diptychs are also called "travelling icons". Often the subjects on the two panels will be a matched set, such as Christ and the Theotokos, or the Annunciation (with the Archangel Gabriel on one side and the Virgin Mary on the other), or Saints Peter and Paul. Christ is the English term for the Greek ( Khristós) meaning "the anointed " Theotokos (Θεοτόκος translit Theotókos) is a title of Mary the mother of Jesus used especially in the Eastern Orthodox, In Christianity the Annunciation ( grc Ευαγγελισμός της Θεοτόκου, Evangelismós tēs Theotókou in Greek) is the revelation Archangels are superior or higher-ranking Angels Archangels are found in a number of religious traditions including Islam, Judaism, and Zoroastrianism Gabriel ( Latin: Gabrielus; Greek:, Gabriēl; Arabic: جبريل Jibrīl or جبرائيل The Feast of Saints Peter and Paul, or properly the Solemnity of Saints Peter and Paul, is a feast commemorating the Martyrdom at Rome of the Apostles
Later art
The diptych was a common format in Early Netherlandish painting and depicted subjects ranging from secular portraiture to religious personages and stories. A polyptych (from the Greek polu- "many" + ptychē "fold" generally refers to a Painting (usually Panel painting Early Netherlandish painting is the work of those painters who were active in the Low Countries during the 15th and early 16th century Northern renaissance Often a portrait and a Madonna and Child had a leaf each. It was especially popular in the 15th and 16th centuries. Painters such as Jan van Eyck, Rogier van der Weyden, Hans Memling and Hugo van der Goes used the form. Jan van Eyck or Johannes de Eyck (jɑn vɑn ɛik (before c 1395 &ndash before July 9, 1441) was an Early Netherlandish painter active Rogier van der Weyden, also known as Rogier de le Pasture (1399/1400 &ndash June 18, 1464) is with Jan van Eyck, considered one of the Hans Memling (Memlinc (c 1430 &ndash 11 August, 1494) was an Early Netherlandish painter, born in Seligenstadt / Germany, who Hugo van der Goes ( Ghent, ?c 1440 – Oudergem, near Brussels, 1482 or 1483 was a Flemish painter More recently, Andy Warhol’s Marilyn Diptych (1962)[2] is a modern pop culture icon. For the song by David Bowie, see Andy Warhol (song. Andrew Warhola (August 6 1928 &ndash February 22 1987 known as Andy Warhol Popular culture (or pop culture) is the Culture — patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activities significance and importance —
Sundial
The other form was a portable sundial. A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. A face was on the inside of each leaf. One leaf formed a vertical sundial, the other a horizontal sundial. The shadow caster, or gnomon was a string between them, and calibrated as to how far they should open, as the angle is critical. The gnomon is the part of a Sundial that casts the Shadow. Gnomon (γνώμων is an Ancient Greek word meaning "indicator" "one who Such a sundial can be adjusted to any latitude by tilting it so its gnomon is parallel to the Earth's axis of rotation. A common error states that if both dials show the same time, the instrument is oriented correctly and faces north (in the northern hemisphere). A Diptych made as stated as a combined vertical and horizontal sundial with a string gnomon will show the same time on both dials regardless of orientation. [3] This property of self alignment is only true for diptychs historically in the case for a combination of an analemmatic and a vertical sundial. A double dial on a flat plate consisting of a horizontal and an analemmatic dial will also be aligned properly if both dials show the same time. [4]
Some diptychs had rough calendars, in the form of pelekinons calibrated to a nodus in the form of a bead or knot on the string. These are accurate to about a week, which was good enough to time planting of crops.
References
- ^ Rose-Marie Hagen (2000), Masterpieces in Detail: What Great Paintings Say, Taschen, pp. 53, ISBN 3822813729, <http://books.google.com/books?id=OWe3lPyY_GIC&pg=PA53&dq=Diptych&ie=ISO-8859-1&output=html&sig=MqkvozRRoJVagrfWzjMw6tjd3vU>
- ^ Marilyn Diptych (1962) Tate Collection Online
- ^ Albert E. Waugh (1973), Sundials:Their Theory and Construction, Dover, ISBN 0486229475
- ^ Rene J. Rohr (1996), Sundials:History Theory and Practice, Dover, ISBN 0486291391
External links
- National Gallery of Art, Prayers and Portraits: Unfolding the Netherlandish Diptych
- Diptych The Catholic Encyclopedia, Volume V, Robert Appleton Company, Online Edition.
- Diptych sundials, National Maritime Museum.
Dictionary
diptych
-noun
- A writing tablet consisting of two leaves of rigid material connected by hinges and shutting together so as to protect the writing within.
- (art) A picture or series of pictures painted on two tablets, usually connected by hinges.
- A double catalogue, containing in one part the names of living, and in the other of deceased, ecclesiastics and benefactors of the church.
- A catalogue of saints.
- Artistically-wrought tablets distributed by consuls, etc. of the later Roman Empire to commemorate their tenure of office; hence transferred to a list of magistrates
- a. a literary work consisting of two contrasting parts (as a narrative telling the same story from two opposing points of view) "a diptych, a pastoral in which the author narrates the birth of Christ ... first as it has impressed the rich countryman Asveer, then as it has been seen by the skeptic Nicodemus" -- François Closset b. any work made up of two matching parts treating complementary or contrasting pictorial phases of one general topic "the first volume of a diptych Vegetation and Flora of the Sonoran Desert" -- F.E. Egler
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