A polyptych is like a special kind of document that is divided into different parts, or panels, like a puzzle with lots of pieces. These panels are all connected and share a common theme or story.
Imagine you have a big piece of paper, and you divide it into smaller sections. In each section, you draw a different picture that tells a part of a story. But when you put all the sections together, they create a bigger picture that shows the whole story!
Now, let's say the story is about a princess going on an adventure. The first panel might show the princess leaving her castle, the second panel shows her walking through a forest, the third panel shows her climbing a mountain, and so on. Each panel tells a different part of the princess's journey.
Polyptychs were often used in religious art a long time ago. Artists would paint different scenes from a religious story on each panel. When people looked at the polyptych, they could see the entire story all at once, like flipping through the pages of a book.
Polyptychs can have different shapes and sizes. Some may have only a few panels, while others have many. Some are even designed to be folded up, so they can be easily carried around.
So, a polyptych is really just a document that is divided into sections, like a puzzle, and each section tells a part of a story. When you put all the sections together, you can see the whole story at once!