Art collecting and patronage, an art in its own right, is often a very personal enterprise that can reveal a good deal about the collector. Fifteenth and sixteenth century Netherlandish diptych collectors — the subjects of an innovative exhibit at the National Gallery called Prayers and Portraits: Unfolding the Netherlandish Diptych — literally collected in their own image.

A diptych is two panels that are attached with hinges, so they can open and close like a book. One panel typically depicts saints, while the other shows the patron or patrons. The panels are often framed individually and hung on the wall, or opened part way and placed on a table to be used by worshippers for private meditation.

In the oil painting on the right (c. 1507/1533), which is half of a diptych, Jean Bellegambe shows Saint Bernard alongside a Cistercian Monk. The saint is easily recognized by his halo, but a comparative analysis of the two figures yields far more similarities than differences. Even if the saint is taller in stature and carries an ornate walking stick, the very notion that the monk has been visited by the saint (who puts an encouraging hand on the monk's shoulder), flatters him. The painting was commissioned by Jeanne de Boubais, the abbess of the Cistercian convent, who appears in the other half of the diptych. There seems to be a certain arrogance in commissioning the sort of work that places one's self (and one's fellow monks) on the same level as a saint.

Diptychs are not Netherlandish creations; they date at least as far back as Greek and Roman tablets, and they were crafted in ivory in the late Roman Empire. The Netherlandish variety, though, corresponds to a period where Burgundy courts were achieving more and more wealth. These wealthy men and women were all too happy to purchase art that flattered not only their saints, but themselves. The rise of diptychs during this period also owed a lot to the Modern Devotion movement, which called for more individualized meditation and prayer. This change in religious practice allowed for the expensive accessorization of diptychs.

In Jan Mostaert's Kneeling Female Donor (Mary of Burgundy?) with the Redeemed of the Old Testament (c. 1520) on the left, Mostaert shows the patroness kneeling in prayer in the company of saints and prophets. Mary is modestly dressed, while most of the saints are nude, perhaps suggesting that Mary remains stuck in the world of materialism and temptation (she is still alive after all), while the others have returned to the purity and innocence of Eden.

Aside from the socio-religious interest in diptychs, the National Gallery show is particularly remarkable because of its archiving and research. Diptychs, by their very nature, are quite fragile, and hinges often break. Many of the diptychs in the show are brought together after being separated for some time. Others were reworked by their owners or mixed and matched like trading cards, so they no longer resemble their initial form. Of the 36 diptychs in the show, only two exist in their original frames with their original hinges. Even for this reason alone — seeing these pieces reunited with their original partners — the show is not to be missed.

The National Gallery is located at Constitution Avenue NW between 3rd and 7th Streets, and is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Prayers and Portraits is on exhibit through February 4, 2007.