This carved ivory triptych depicting the crucifixion is made by an unknown artist from Germany, possibly Nuremberg or from France, possibly Paris, probably from about 1840-1850. It is flanked on the wings by two shields of arms with the initials H.V.I and I.V.R. and in the heraldic manner current in about 1500. A triptych very similar in style is in the Kestner Museum at Hanover (Pelke, O: Elfenbein, 1923, fig. 312, p. 398). The subjects in both cases are apparently taken from German woodcuts.
The triptych is betrayed as a nineteenth-century fabrication by its unconvincing style, perfect condition, anachronistic arcading, modern method of facture, over-elaborate silver mounts and incorreclty shaped heraldic shields.
The Gothic Triptych was to all intents and purposes a sub-branch of the tabernacle polyptych, with a shallower central panel and two, rather than four, hinged wings. The subject matter was the same, dominated by single images of the standing Virgin and Child and scenes from the infancy of Christ. Triptychs – like diptychs – are better suited to the needs of a travelling clientele, who would wish to take these small portable altars with them as aids to prayer. Some of them were intended to be carried in cases, usually of cuir bouilli (boiled leather).