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prettygoodword ([personal profile] prettygoodword) wrote2021-09-20 07:54 am

tetraptych

tetraptych (TEH-trap-tik) - n., a picture in four parts joined together.


Or to put it another way, a polyptych of four parts -- the most common type of polyptych being the three-part triptych (such as The Garden of Earthly Delights). The best known polyptychs are medieval European altarpieces joined by hinges, so they could be moved as needed, though there are examples in other cultures. Taken from Greek tetraptychos, from tetra-, four + ptychē, fold/layer. A medieval Catalan example:

Tertraptych altarpiece by Arnau Bassa
Thanks, WikiMedia!

---L.

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