A deckarts triptych is three individual maple decks mounted with a 5 cm gap between each, forming one 256 × 20 cm composition for €310. It's the format built for paintings whose story genuinely needs the extra width — not just three decks placed next to each other because three looks impressive.
What a Triptych Actually Is
Three separate 85 × 20 cm decks, each mounted on its own, spaced 5 cm apart, reading as one continuous 256 cm-wide piece. The price is a flat €310 regardless of subject — a triptych of Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights costs the same as a triptych of Van Gogh's Sunflowers. Each of the three decks ships and mounts individually, using the same hardware as any single deck.
Why Some Paintings Need Three Panels and Others Don't
The same crop test that applies to a single deck applies here, just widened: a triptych only works if the composition genuinely needs 256 cm of width to hold together. A wide narrative scene with multiple figures spread across the canvas — like Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights or Bruegel's Tower of Babel — loses its story if compressed into a single 20 cm-wide deck. A single portrait or a tightly-cropped figure almost never needs three panels; stretching it across 256 cm just adds empty space rather than more story.
The Range Already in the Catalogue
The triptych format currently spans a wide range of subjects and periods: Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights and The Last Judgment, Bruegel's Tower of Babel, the Haywain Triptych, Rubens's The Rape of the Daughters of Leucippus and Tiger Hunt, Titian's Bacchus and Ariadne, Boucher's The Triumph of Venus, Van Gogh's Sunflowers and The Starry Night, Van Eyck's The Arnolfini Portrait, and Jacques-Louis David's Napoleon Crossing the Alps, among others. Every one is €310, regardless of period or complexity.
How Much Wall a Triptych Actually Needs
At 256 cm across, a triptych wants roughly 150 cm of clear, uninterrupted wall to breathe — noticeably more than the ~100 cm a diptych needs, or the ~50 cm a single deck needs. That's a real measurement to take before ordering: a triptych crammed onto a wall with only 180 cm of total width leaves almost no margin, and will read as cramped rather than deliberate.
Mounting Three Decks as One Piece
Because the three decks mount individually, getting the gap and alignment consistent is what makes the set read as one piece rather than three separate ones. Keep the 5 cm gap even across both joins, and keep all three decks level with each other — a slight height mismatch between panels is far more noticeable at 256 cm wide than it would be on a single deck.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does a triptych cost compared to a single deck?
A triptych is €310 flat, compared to €140 for a single deck and €230 for a diptych. The price reflects the three-panel format, not the specific subject or artist.
Do all three panels of a triptych ship and arrive together?
Yes — a triptych order is fulfilled as one set of three decks, shipped together, not as separate purchases.
Can I buy just one panel from a triptych design instead of all three?
No — triptych designs are composed across all three panels as one continuous image, so a single panel on its own generally wouldn't read as a complete composition. If you want a single-deck piece, browse the single-deck catalogue instead.
How much wall space does a triptych need?
Roughly 150 cm of clear wall for the 256 cm-wide piece itself plus breathing room on each side — noticeably more than a diptych (~100 cm) or a single deck (~50 cm).
What makes a painting suited to the triptych format specifically?
Wide, multi-figure narrative scenes that need real horizontal space to tell their story — like Bosch's Garden of Earthly Delights or Bruegel's Tower of Babel. A single portrait or tightly-cropped figure rarely benefits from being stretched across three panels.
Article summary
- A deckarts triptych is three individually-mounted decks with a 5cm gap, forming a 256×20cm piece for €310 flat, regardless of subject.
- The format suits wide, multi-figure narrative paintings that need the extra width to tell their story — not every painting benefits from three panels.
- The catalogue spans Bosch, Bruegel, Rubens, Titian, Boucher, Van Gogh, Van Eyck, and Jacques-Louis David triptychs, among others, all at the same €310 price.
- A triptych needs roughly 150cm of clear wall — noticeably more than a diptych (~100cm) or single deck (~50cm).
- Consistent 5cm spacing and level alignment across all three panels is what makes a triptych read as one piece rather than three.
About the Author
Stanislav Arnautov is the founder of deckarts, a graphic designer and print specialist originally from Ukraine, now based in Berlin, where he personally designs and prepares every deck. Follow on Instagram or visit stasarnautov.com.
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