Encyclopaedia of Comparative Iconography: Themes Depicted in Works of Art

Webster’s Dictionary defines iconography as “pictorial material relating to or illustrating a subject”. The Encyclopedia of Comparative Iconography looks at the ways in which subjects and themes have been treated throughout art history. Typically, dictionaries and encyclopedias of iconography list characters from the mythological, classical and biblical worlds in A‐Z format, such as Aaron to Zeus. This encyclopedia differs considerably from this standard format and has been arranged according to themes, such as abandonment, crucifixion, sacrifice and sleep. The iconographic narratives are ordered according to the actions performed by the characters, the situations in which they find themselves and to...