Iconography Resources
Iconography resources may be dictionaries, indexes, bibliographies, or other resources helpful in providing information on subjects in works of art. This guide focuses on the iconography of Western art. For iconography beyond the West, see the guide to Non-Western Art.
Subject: Classical | Christian
Period: Classical | Medieval | Renaissance | Baroque | 19th Century
Subject
Dictionaries of iconography in Western art, usually from the Renaissance to modern, primarily classical or Christian themes:
Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art.
N7560.H34 1979b (Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection)
The Dictionary of Symbols in Western Art.
N7740.C29 1995 (Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection)
Encyclopedia of Themes and Subjects in Painting... .
ND1288.D3 1971 (Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection)
Myth & Religion in European Painting, 1270-1700: The Stories as the Artists Knew Them.
ND1288.B47 (Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection)
Resources listing examples of works in addition to definitions:
Encyclopedia of Comparative Iconography: Themes Depicted in Works of Art.
N7560.E53 1998 (Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection)
An Illustrated Dictionary of Narrative Painting.
ND1288.T48 1994 (Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection)
Resources with references to specific examples of representations of themes (no definitions):
Dictionnaire iconographique de peinture.
ND45.R34 1998 (Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection)
Iconclass: An Iconographic Classification System.
N7565.W315 (Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection)
Additional resources:
Encyclopedia of Women in Religious Art.
N7793.W65A66 1996 (Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection)
SYMBOLS.com -- Encyclopedia of Western Signs and Ideograms
Classical/Mythological
A Dictionary of Pictorial Subjects from Classical Literature.
N7760.P68 1983 (Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection)
Mythological and Classical World Art Index... .
N7760.R63 1991 (Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection)
The Oxford Guide to Classical Mythology in the Arts, 1300-1990s.
NX650.M9R45 1993 (Arts & Humanities, Pattee, 2nd Floor - Ready Reference)
Christian
Dictionaries with summary explanations of iconographic subjects and themes:
The Dent Dictionary of Symbols in Christian Art.
N7825.S68 1994 (Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection)
Signs & Symbols in Christian Art.
N7830.F37 1959 (Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection)
Resources listing examples of works in addition to definitions:
The Bible and the Saints.
N7825.D8313 1994 (Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection)
Iconographie de l'art chrétien. Réau.
N7949.R42 (Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection)
Iconography of Christian Art. Schiller.
N7830.S353 (Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection)
Ikonographie der christlichen Kunst. Schiller.
N7830.S35 (Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection)
Index of Christian Art
Lexikon der christlichen Ikonographie.
N7825.L4 (Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection)
Resources with references to specific examples of representations of themes (no definitions):
Iconographic Index to New Testament Subjects... .
ND1430.R6 1992 (Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection)
Iconographic Index to Old Testament Subjects... .
ND1430.R63 1987 (Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection)
Post-Biblical Saints Art Index... .
N8079.5.R63 1994 (Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection)
Period
Classical
Lexicon iconographicum mythologiae classicae (LIMC)..
NX650.M9L48 (Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection)
Medieval
Iconographie de l'art profane au moyen-âge et à la renaissance, et la décoration des demeures.
N5970.M35 Q (Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection)
Medieval Art: A Topical Dictionary.
N7850.R67 1996 (Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection)
Medieval Iconography: A Research Guide.
NX449.F75 1998 (Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection)
Renaissance
Attributs et symboles dans l'art profane, 1450-1600: dictionnaire d'un langage perdu.
N7740.T4 (Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection)
Renaissance Art: A Topical Dictionary.
N6370.E27 1987 (Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection)
Baroque
Barockthemen: eine Auswahl von Verzeichnissen zur Ikonographie des 17. und 18. Jahrhunderts.
N6410.P5 (Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection)
Baroque Art: A Topical Dictionary.
N6415.B3E18 1996 (Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection)
Iconography of the Counter Reformation in the Netherlands: Heaven on Earth.
N6946.K513 (Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection)
Ripa. Baroque and Rococo Pictorial Imagery: The 1758-60 Hertel Edition of Ripa's 'Iconologia'.
N7740.R515 1971 (Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection)
19th Century
Nineteenth-Century European Art: A Topical Dictionary.
N6757.S77 1999 (Arts & Humanities, Pattee, Stacks 2 - Reference Collection)