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Iconography: Symbols in Art

Background Sources

The tabs above offer various types of resources for your research in iconography such as dictionaries and encyclopedias of specific symbols, books and articles about symbols in art, online image databases, and key print indexes with examples of artworks depicting objects used as symbols. Be sure to consult other related subject guides including Classical Mythology and Classical Studies.

Jan van Eyck. The Arnolfini Portrait, 1434.

Symbols in Art

Hall. Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art. 2008.
HumRef N 7560 .H34 2008
* Encyclopedia of Comparative Iconography. 2 vols.
HumRef N 7560 .E53 1998
Themes contain critical essay, works of art depicting specific themes, and bibliography.
Carr-Gomm. Hidden Symbols in Art. 2001.
HumRef N 7740 .C34 2001
Hall. Illustrated Dictionary of Symbols in Eastern and Western Art. 1994.
HumRef N 7740 .H37x 1994
* Pigler. Barockthemen: eine auswahl von verzeichnissen zur Ikonographie des 17. und 18. Jahrhunderts. 1974. 3 vols.
HumRef N 6415 .B3 P5 1974
1956 ed. in N 6410 .P5 2 vols.

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Illustrated list of works of art depicting Baroque themes used during the 17th and 18th centuries. Vol. 1: religious subjects; vol. 2: profane. Under each theme, there is a brief list of references describing the scene plus a list of artists who depicted it.
Mâle. Religious Art in France: From the Twelfth to the Eighteenth Centuries. 1982.
N 7949 .M34x
Mâle. The Gothic Image: Religious Art in France of the Thirteenth Century.
N 7949 .M29213x 1972 + E-book
Friedlander. Early Netherlandish Painting. 1967-1976. 14 vols. ND 631 .F713

Guides to the Study of Iconography

Grbich. Iconology and Iconography: Describing, Classifying, and Interpreting Religious and Artistic Objects. 2015.
E-book
Straten. An Introduction to Iconography: Symbols, Allusions, and Meaning in the Visual Arts.
HumRef N 7565 .S7713 1994
Alciato.The Routledge Companion to Medieval Iconography.
HumRef N 5975 .R68 2017 + E-book

Guide to Imagery Series

The Getty has published the Guide to Imagery series of books on useful topics studied in iconography:

Angels and Demons in Art
Artists' Techniques and Materials
Astrology, Magic, and Alchemy in Art
Death and Resurrection in Art
Food and Feasting in Art
Gardens in Art
Gospel Figures in Art
The History of the Church in Art
Icons and Saints of the Eastern Orthodox Church
Medicine in Art
Music in Art
Nature and Its Symbols
Old Testament Figures in Art
Symbols and Allegories in Art
Symbols of Power in Art

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Online Encyclopedia of Art | Start Here

Oxford Art Online
Comprehensive encyclopedia of art, with authoritative and comprehensive reference sources for all visual arts: painting, sculpture, architecture, photography, drawing, printmaking, design, and decorative arts. Includes links to images from libraries and museums. Contains: Grove Art Online, The Oxford Companion to Western Art, Encyclopedia of Aesthetics, The Concise Oxford, and The Dictionary of Art Terms. We have 8 simultaneous users.