Iconography and interpretation
The attribute helps to recognize the character, but does not provide a complete interpretation.
Key ideas
Iconography studies subjects, characters, and sustainable ways of depicting them. An attribute, gesture or inscription helps to identify an image. Then the question arises of why this plot was chosen, how it is interpreted and what role it plays in a particular situation.
Looking deeper
Avoid universal symbol tables: a skull, a flower, or a dog gain meaning in combination with context. Verification requires texts, comparable works and information about the purpose. One motif can allow for several levels of reading.
Attributes of saints; allegories of time; Vanitas still life motifs.
Find the work in the museum's official catalog and start with a description of the visible details.Find two independent arguments to support the definition of plot.
Useful terms
- Iconography
- Study of plots, characters, attributes and sustainable ways of depicting them.
- Allegory
- Depiction of an abstract concept through a figure, action or system of attributes. Reading often requires knowledge of conventions.
- Vanitas
- A type of still life reminiscent of the transience of life and the fragility of earthly goods. The meaning of the details depends on the context.
External educational material or museum catalogue. The above review is not a literal translation of the source.