This is an ivory triptych made in the first half of the 14th century France. This triptych represents the Virgin and Child; the Annunciation and the three Magi on the right; the Nativity and the Presentation on the right wing. Ivory was used all over Europe for religious works of art. It was often combined with precious metals and usually took the form of relief panels, for book covers, portable altars and caskets. An almost unbroken tradition of ivory carving extends from the Roman and Byzantine empires until the end of the 14th century. From about 1250, Paris became the centre of production for figures and reliefs intended for private devotion. Other workshops emerged in Italy and Germany. Venice was one of the centres of ivory carving in Italy. Much of the work was based on French models. Some of the craftsmen may have been trained in Paris as their work often combines French and local styles.

The central panel of this triptych constitutes one of the largest ivory plaques known from the Gothic period (it is especially wide). The monumentality of the Virgin here is further emphasised by the way the figure fills the available space, with her head extending into the upper lobe of the trefoil arch in a manner not found in the other triptychs. This feeling of a giant compressed by its surroundings is only matched in one other triptych, now in a private collection in London.

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).