iconography

noun

ico·​nog·​ra·​phy ˌī-kə-ˈnä-grə-fē 

plural iconographies

1

: the traditional or conventional images or symbols associated with a subject and especially a religious or legendary subject

2

: pictorial material relating to or illustrating a subject

3

: the imagery or symbolism of a work of art, an artist, or a body of art

4

: iconology

Did you know?

If you saw a 17th-century painting of a man writing at a desk with a lion at his feet, would you know you were looking at St. Jerome, translator of the Bible, who, according to legend, once pulled a thorn from the paw of a lion, which thereafter became his devoted friend? And if a painting showed a young woman reclining on a bed with a shower of gold descending on her, would you recognize her as Danaë, locked up in a tower to keep her away from the lustful Zeus, who then managed to gain access to her by transforming himself into golden light (or golden coins)? An iconographic approach to art can make museum-going a lot of fun—and amateur iconographers know there are also plenty of symbols lurking in the images that advertisers bombard us with daily.

Examples of iconography in a Sentence

the iconography of the 1960s

Recent Examples on the Web

Shop Paloma Elsesser's Open Door The globe-trotting star draws inspiration from a variety of locales, from Milanese design to North African iconography. —Hannah Martin, Architectural Digest, 16 Jan. 2025

Other common tattoos are crowns, which the Texas DPS said was similar to iconography used by the Latin Kings, as well as firearms, grenades, trains, dice, roses, and predatory felines. —Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 31 Dec. 2024

When building the brand years later, Siegelman centered horses and their holding quarters as brand motifs, infusing their iconography with a layered brand mission that straddles the personal and the purposeful. —Essence, 23 Dec. 2024

Untitled shows a half-length image of a distressed-looking figure seemingly wearing a laurel wreath, a symbol of triumph in classical iconography. —Brian Boucher For Artnews, Robb Report, 23 Nov. 2024

Word History

Etymology

borrowed from Late Latin īconographia "making of images," borrowed from Greek eikonographía "sketch, description" (Late Greek, "making of images"), from eikono- icono- + -graphia -graphy

First Known Use

1678, in the meaning defined at sense 2