Polípticos

A diptych is any object consisting of two flat panels cut and/or joined together by a hinge or idea. Artifacts of this form were very popular in the ancient world for preserving notes, measuring time and direction. The Diptych of the Poet and the Muse at Monza would have been commissioned for private use. Some of the most important surviving works from the late Roman Empire are diptychs, of which a few dozen survive, preserved on occasion by having been reused as book covers.