Triptych: The Life of the Virgin

The Virgin and Child, standing beneath a three-part arch, occupy the central plaque of this triptych. On the wings are carved four scenes from the life of the Virgin: the Annunciation, the Visitation, the Adoration of the Magi, and Christ's Presentation in the Temple. By the end of the 12th century, devotional objects like this became widespread in many parts of Western Europe as a result of the growing cult of the Virgin.