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

Visually, the freestyle doubles down on Black beauty iconography. —Okla Jones, Essence, 25 June 2025

For Cyrus, the Eiffel Tower motif offered a city-specific reference while tapping into a larger pattern: curating pieces that speak to image, iconography and fashion memory. —Maggie Clancy, Footwear News, 18 June 2025

While firmly grounded in the iconography and spirit of her homeland, her photographic style transcends borders and challenges the limitations and short-sightedness of the Western gaze, offering an evocative yet precise means of storytelling. —Caterina De Biasio, Vogue, 11 June 2025

Fiat Professional has trodden on Italian automotive iconography with its Tris electric three-wheeler concept for Africa and the Middle East. —Michael Taylor, Forbes.com, 23 May 2025

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

Rhymes for iconography

• bibliography
• choreography
• chromatography
• crystallography
• hagiography
• lexicography
• metallography
• myelography
• oceanography
• physiography
• plethysmography
• polarography