iconography

ico·nog·ra·phy

noun \ˌī-kə-ˈnä-grə-fē\

plural ico·nog·ra·phies

Definition of ICONOGRAPHY

1

: pictorial material relating to or illustrating a subject

2

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

3

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

4

: iconology

Examples of ICONOGRAPHY

1. the iconography of the 1960s

Origin of ICONOGRAPHY

Medieval Latin iconographia, from Greek eikonographia sketch, description, from eikonographein to describe, from eikon- + graphein to write — more at carve

First Known Use: 1678

Other Fine Arts Terms

Gothic, baroque, bas-relief, limn, oeuvre, pastiche, rococo, sfumato

Rhymes with ICONOGRAPHY

bibliography, choreography, hagiography, lexicography, oceanography