Iconographie

Iconographie is a field within art history and museology that deals with the identification, description, and interpretation of images, motifs, and symbols in visual media. In French usage, the term can also refer to the corpus of images associated with a specific subject, theme, or religious tradition, as well as the visual program within a work or collection.

The practice typically proceeds in stages: describing visible elements such as figures, objects, and gestures; identifying subjects drawn from myth, Scripture, history, or daily life; and analyzing symbolic meanings within a historical and cultural context. The discipline often distinguishes between identifying subjects (iconography) and interpreting their meanings (iconology).

Historical background and framework: The study of image subjects has ancient roots in catalogs and compendia, with significant development in modern art history through the work of Ernst G. Panofsky. He articulated a three-level approach to the interpretation of images, distinguishing between the identification of subjects and conventional symbols (iconography) and the analysis of deeper cultural and intellectual meanings (iconology). This framework helped shape methods for analyzing how images communicate ideas beyond their literal depiction.

Applications: Iconographie informs curatorial practice, museum cataloging, and digital image databases, supporting conservation, education, and scholarly research. It interacts with related fields such as symbolism, religious studies, and the study of medieval and early modern visual culture.

See also: iconology, symbolism, religious art, allegory.