Diptych of Boethius on the occasion of important events, such as the appointment to important public offices. Initially displayed in the Museo dell'Era Cristiana, which was opened in some rooms of the suppressed Monastery of Santa Giulia, at the beginning of the nineteenth century, it remained there for some time. With the opening of the Museo di Santa Giulia in 1998, the diptych became part of the "Collectables and applied arts" collection and is found in the vitrines dedicated to the Querini collection. The diptych shows the consul on both panels, seated on a throne and wearing an expensive tunic. The two figures
Early Netherlandish painting time. That hinged works could be opened and closed served a practical purpose; on religious holidays the more prosaic and everyday outer panels were replaced by the lush interior panels. The "Ghent Altarpiece", completed in 1432, had different configurations for weekdays, Sundays and church holidays. The first generation of Netherlandish masters borrowed many customs from 13th- and 14th-century Italian altarpieces. The conventions for Italian triptychs before 1400 were quite rigid. In central panels the mid-ground was populated by members of the Holy Family; early works, especially from the Sienese or Florentine traditions, were overwhelmingly characterised by images of the enthroned