A triptych is three panels conceived and sold as one composition. At TheArtFolio a triptych is three archival prints of 45 × 100 cm, hung with a 5 cm gap, spanning 145 cm of artwork and about 172 cm framed — so you need a wall of at least two metres for it to sit properly. These are framed paper prints, not stretched canvas and not oil paintings.
What is a triptych?
Three panels, one image. The word comes from the hinged three-panel altarpieces of medieval and Renaissance churches, where the outer wings folded over the centre. What survived into modern interiors is the proportion rather than the religion: a wide composition broken into three, read left to right as a single work.
Triptych, diptych and "set of three" are not the same thing
A triptych is one image across three panels. A set of three is three separate images hung together — related, but each complete on its own. A diptych is the same idea as a triptych in two panels.
The distinction matters when you buy. A set of three can be rearranged, split between rooms, or hung in a column. A triptych cannot: move one panel and the composition breaks.
Why ours are prints, not canvas
Most triptychs sold in the UK are split canvas — the image printed onto cotton and stretched over three frames. We do it differently: each panel is an archival paper print, mounted and framed. It costs more and it lasts longer, and it is the reason our panels have a mount at all.
How much wall do you actually need?
This is the question nobody selling three-panel art wants to answer, so here it is.
| Per panel | Gap | Artwork overall | Framed footprint | Wall you need | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diptych | 47.5 × 100 cm | 5 cm | 100 × 100 cm | ≈118 × 109 cm | from ~1.4 m |
| Triptych | 45 × 100 cm | 5 cm | 145 × 100 cm | ≈172 × 109 cm | from ~2.1 m |
Framed figures include a 2.5 cm mount and a 2 cm Classic moulding on every panel.
The sofa rule, and where a triptych fails it
The usual guidance is that art above a sofa should span roughly two thirds of the sofa's width. Run that backwards: a triptych at 172 cm framed wants a sofa of around 260 cm — a large three-seater or a four.
Above a standard 180 cm two-seater, a triptych is wider than the furniture beneath it. It does not look generous; it looks like it was bought for a different room.
If your sofa is under about 210 cm, buy the diptych. It is the honest answer and it is the one most UK living rooms need.
Hanging height and spacing
Centre the composition at 145–150 cm from the floor — eye level for most people standing. Over a sofa, leave 20–25 cm between the top of the sofa back and the bottom of the frames.
The 5 cm gap between panels is not arbitrary. Closer and the mounts read as one thick white band; wider and the eye starts treating the panels as three separate works. Five centimetres is the point where three frames still read as one picture.
Which subjects suit three panels
Wide horizons
Anything with a horizon line carries across panels well, because the line does the joining for you. Coastal and estuary work is the obvious case — see Seascape.
Abstract and colour field
Works built from bands, gradients or gestural sweeps rather than a single focal point. There is nothing to cut through, so the divisions read as rhythm.
What does not work as a triptych
A composition with one strong subject in the middle. Split it into three and the centre panel carries the picture while the outer two hold background. If a work has an obvious hero element, it is better bought as a single large print.
Framing three panels
All three panels are framed identically — same moulding, same mount, same glazing. Mixing finishes across a triptych is the fastest way to break the illusion that it is one work.
Delivery and what to expect
Every triptych is made to order: 3–5 working days to print and frame, 2–3 days tracked courier, so 5–8 business days in total. Three framed panels ship as one consignment.
Because each set is made to your specification we cannot accept returns other than for faults or damage, which does not affect your statutory rights.
Browse the Triptych collection →
Not enough wall? See the diptych →
