Iconography is the branch of art history which studies the identification and the interpretation of the content of images. It can also mean a particular depiction of a subject in terms of the content of the image, such as a saint, the number of figures, their placing and gestures.
Who is the artist and when did he live? What is the subject of this painting? Who are the figures? What is the source of the story depicted in this painting? Does the location of the work add meaning to the artwork?
Materials on this page will assist you as you begin to look at images and construct meaning from their depiction.
Giovanni Bellini, Madonna of the Meadow, c. 1500, oil and egg on synthetic panel, transferred from wood, 67.3 x 86.4 cm (The National Gallery)
Illustrated Dictionary of Symbols in Eastern and Western Art by 
The History of Ideas and Images in Italian Art by 
Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art by 
Encyclopedia of Comparative Iconography
From Abacus to Zeus
How to Read Italian Renaissance Painting by 
Iconology
The Oxford Companion to Christian Art and Architecture
