Iconography

Iconography, in art history, the study of subject matter in the visual arts. The meaning of a work of art is often conveyed by the specific objects or figures that the artist includes within it; the purpose of iconography is to identify, classify, and explain these objects, and thus the meaning of certain works of art. Iconography is particularly important in the study of religious and allegorical painting, where many of the objects that are pictured—crosses, skulls, books, or candles, for example—have special significance, which is often symbolic or obscure. See also: Symbolism in Art.