Winged altarpiece Winged altarpiece A winged altarpiece (also "folding altar") or winged retable is a special form of altarpiece (reredos, occasionally retable), common in Central Europe, in which the fixed shrine or "corpus" can be enclosed by two (triptych), four (pentaptych) or more (polyptych) movable wings. The technical terms are derived from : "trís" or "triple"; πέντε: "pénte" or "five"; πολύς: "polýs" or "many"; and πτυχή: "ptychē" or "fold, layer". Because the winged altar can display different scenes on weekdays, Sundays or holidays, based on the motifs and type of decoration (painted panels or reliefs), it is also called a liturgical altar.
Death of the Virgin Mary of Košátky broader circle of paintings executed in a similar way, such as the Vyšší Brod Altarpiece, the Kaufmann Crucifixion and the panels of the Morgan Collection (the "Small Morgan Panels"). The panel was probably originally the wing of a diptych, the second part of which was the Wrocław Holy Trinity. In the quality of its execution, the picture ranks among the finest known works dating from the 14th century. It is at the same time the most Italian work of the entire Bohemian school. The construction of space reveals that the artist was acquainted with the central Italian painting of Siena