Symmachi–Nicomachi diptych Symmachi–Nicomachi diptych The Symmachi–Nicomachi diptych is a book-size, Late Antique ivory diptych dating to the late fourth or early fifth century, whose panels depict scenes of ritual pagan religious practices. Both its style and its content reflect a short-lived revival of traditional Roman religion and Classicism at a time when the Roman world was turning towards Christianity and rejecting the Classical tradition. The diptych takes its name from the inscriptions "Nicomachorum" and "Symmachorum", in reference to two prominent Roman Senate families. The diptych remained intact until the nineteenth century. The earliest description of the leaves dates to 1717, when an
Annunciation (van Eyck, Madrid) Annunciation (van Eyck, Madrid) The Annunciation (sometimes Diptych of The Annunciation) is an oil on wood in grisaille painting by the Early Netherlandish artist Jan van Eyck, dated by art historians as between 1434 and 1436. The panels form a diptych, and are currently in the collection of the Museo Thyssen-Bornemisza, Madrid. The figures and iconography are very similar to those in the outer panels of van Eyck's earlier "Ghent Altarpiece" completed in 1432. However, their relative small scale suggests commission for private worship rather than public celebration. The panels show the Archangel Gabriel on the left and the Virgin