Polyptychs: How Multi-Panel Altarpieces Defined Religious Art from 14th Century Italy to the Northern Renaissance

In early 14th century Italy, polyptychs emerged as intricate devotional pieces composed of multiple painted panels, frequently adorned with Byzantine-style gold leaf. Among the earliest examples is The Saint Cecilia Altarpiece, dated 1304 and attributed to a disciple of Giotto. On June 9, 1311, the Maestà polyptych by Duccio di Buoninsegna was installed in the cathedral of Siena, commissioned to enhance civic identity. During the mid-14th century, Paolo Veneziano produced works in Venice, while affluent Florentine families, including the Strozzi and Medici, commissioned polyptychs as symbols of power and redemption. In the mid-1350s, Tommaso Strozzi ordered a five-panel polyptych for Santa Maria Novella. The Ghent Altarpiece, finished in 1432 by Jan van Eyck, was commissioned by Joos Vijd and Elisabeth Borluut.