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

This time, the iconography was divided between sometimes prevents and almost always prevents. —Davey Winder, Forbes, 24 Oct. 2024

This design from Mori has classic winter iconography (snowflakes, polar bears in red and green scarfs) without being too in-your-face. —Brigitt Earley, Glamour, 21 Oct. 2024

But what is Joan’s story, and why does her iconography appeal to the young starlets of today? —Tacita Quinn, CNN, 15 Oct. 2024

Beauty moments at Balmain stood out for Diner—particularly with fragrance iconography doubling as runway accessories this season—as did the gold glitter crescent moons at Loewe and the metallic lashes at Bottega by Dame Pat McGrath. —Eoghan O'Donnell, Vogue, 10 Oct. 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