Iconology
/ˌaɪ.kəˈnɒl.ə.dʒi/noun
The study of the symbolic and cultural meanings represented in images and visual art.
Did you know?Art historian Erwin Panofsky distinguished iconology from iconography by treating images as clues to the deeper worldview, values, and beliefs of an entire culture.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Indo-European
PIE
*weyk-
“To be like or resemble; a proposed ancestral root connected with the idea of likeness.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
eikōn
“An image, likeness, portrait, or representation.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
logos
“Word, account, explanation, or rational discourse.”
Ancient Greek
Greek
eikonologia
“A discourse or systematic account concerning images.”
Medieval Latin
Latin
iconologia
“The study or treatment of images.”
1590s
English
iconology
“The study of images; later, the interpretation of their symbolic and cultural meanings.”