- Iconclass
Iconclass is a specialized
library classification designed forart andiconography . It was originally conceived byHenri van de Waal , and was further developed by a group of scholars after his death.The Iconclass system is probably the largest classification system for cultural content. Initially designed for historical imagery, it is now also used to create subject access to texts and to classify a wide range of images, including modern photography. At the moment it contains over 28,000 unique concepts (classification types) and has an entry vocabulary of 14,000 keywords. It can be consulted with the help of the freely available * [http://www.iconclass.org/browse/ online Iconclass browser] . Iconclass was developed in the Netherlands as a standard classification for recording collections, with the idea of assembling huge databases that will allow the retrieval of images featuring particular details, subjects or other common factors. For example, the Iconclass code "71H7131" is for the subject of "
Bathsheba (alone) with David's letter", whereas "71" is the whole "Old Testament " and "71H" the "story ofDavid ". A number of collections of different types have been classified using Iconclass, notably many types ofold master print , the collections of theGemäldegalerie, Berlin and the GermanMarburger Index . These are available, usually on-line or onDVD . [ [http://www.iconclass.nl/ Iconclass website] ] [ [http://www.rosspub.com/iconclass.htm Ross Publishing - examples for sale] ] The system can also be used outside pure art history, for example on sites likeFlickr . [ [http://www.iconclass.org/flickr website Iconclass for Flickr] ]The content of Iconclass is currently maintained by the
Netherlands Institute for Art History (RKD) . The online Iconclass browser is developed by the Henri van de Waal Foundation.References
External links
* [http://www.iconclass.nl/ The official Iconclass website]
* [http://www.mnemosyne.org/ A group of scholars providing help on using the ICONCLASS system]
* [http://www.arkyves.org/ Arkyves, a website showcasing Iconclass as a subject retrieval system (a login is needed)]
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