iconography

[ahy-kuh-nog-ruh-fee]

noun

plural

iconographies 

1. symbolic representation, especially the conventional meanings attached to an image or images.

2. subject matter in the visual arts, especially with reference to the conventions regarding the treatment of a subject in artistic representation.

3. the study or analysis of subject matter and its meaning in the visual arts; iconology.

4. a representation or a group of representations of a person, place, or thing, as a portrait or a collection of portraits.

iconography

/ aɪˌkɒnəˈɡræfɪk, ˌaɪkɒˈnɒɡrəfɪ /

noun

1. 1. the symbols used in a work of art or art movement

   2. the conventional significance attached to such symbols

2. a collection of pictures of a particular subject, such as Christ

3. the representation of the subjects of icons or portraits, esp on coins

Other Word Forms

• iconographic adjective
• iconographer noun
• iconograph noun

Word History and Origins

Origin of iconography¹

1620–30; < Medieval Latin īconographia < Greek eikonographía. See icono-, -graphy

Example Sentences

Decades after Kennedy’s death, his portrait hung in the homes of many American Catholics, often adjacent to religious iconography such as Virgin Mary statuettes.

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What follows will touch on religious and mystical iconography — we’ll meet three lantern-carrying masked figures, for instance, with exaggerated, regal adornments as they herald a birth.

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His novels move with kinetic energy, his plots are intricate puzzles shrouded in religious iconography, ancient cryptography and other obscure arcana.

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Was it appealing to free him from the iconography?

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For much of its audience, My Chem’s proudly sentimental music contains the stuff of identity — one reason thousands showed up to Dodger Stadium wearing elaborate outfits inspired by the band’s detailed iconography.

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