0 · Abstract, Non-representational Art
3 · Human Being, Man in General
4 · Society, Civilization, Culture
The outline below lists the 450 basic categories of the Iconclass system. You can use the outline to familiarize yourself with the main groups of subjects. When you click on a concept you can see how each category is further subdivided.
You will find illustrations for almost all of the main categories in the collection of RKDImages. If RKDImages does not have pictures to illustrate the use of an Iconclass concept, you can also reference German Bildindex, probably the most prolific user of the Iconclass system.
0 · Abstract, Non-representational Art
11A · Deity, God (in general) ~ Christian religion
11B · the Holy Trinity, 'Trinitas coelestis'; Father, Son and Holy Ghost ~ Christian religion
11M · 'Sapientia' and the Seven Virtues, i.e. the Three Theological and the Four Cardinal Virtues
11N · Vice, and the Seven Deadly Sins
11O · strife between Virtues and Vices, Psychomachy
11P · the Church (as institution)
11S · heaven, celestial paradise, New Earth
11V · the (seven) Acts of Mercy
12 · non-Christian religions (including institutions, customs and antiquities)
12A · Jewish religion and culture
12B · non-Christian religions and cults (in general)
12D · Babylonian-Assyrian religions and other antique religions of the Near East and Northern Africa
12E · Greek religion (including Minoan and Mycenaean culture)
12F · Roman religion (including Etruscan religion)
12H · Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism
12L · Germanic and Scandinavian religions
12N · traditional Chinese religions
12P · tribal religions of South-East Asia
12Q · African tribal religions
12R · American Indian religions
12S · Australian and Polynesian/Melanesian religions
12T · Arctic religions (Siberian-, Lapp-, Eskimo-religions)
12U · miscellaneous religions, cults and doctrines
13 · magic, supernaturalism, occultism
13A · general phenomena ~ magic and supernaturalism (spirits, ghosts, etc.)
13C · magic signs and objects (numbers, words, etc.)
13D · enchantment (evil eye, transformation, healings, etc.)
13E · divination, prognostication ~ magic
13F · microcosmos ~ macrocosmos
13G · superstition, popular belief
14C · astrological signs and symbols
21 · the four elements, and ether, the fifth element
21A · air (one of the four elements)
21B · earth (one of the four elements)
21C · fire (one of the four elements)
21D · water (one of the four elements)
21E · ether as 'quinta essentia'
22B · electricity and magnetism
23A · allegory of Time and Eternity
23B · period of more than one year
23E · seasons of the year represented by scenes showing human activities, usually in a landscape
23F · seasons of the year represented by landscapes
23G · seasons of the year represented by still lifes of flowers and/or fruits
23I · the twelve months (especially personifications); 'Mese in generale' (Ripa)
23L · the twelve months represented by landscapes
23M · the twelve months represented by still lifes of flowers and/or fruits
23O · zodiac; the twelve zodiacal signs together
23S · the empires of the world
24 · the heavens (celestial bodies)
24C · planets (except the earth)
25 · earth, world as celestial body
25B · continents represented allegorically
25D · rock types; minerals and metals; soil types
25E · geological-chronological division; historical geology; geological era
25I · city-view, and landscape with man-made constructions
25K · landscapes in the non-temperate zone, exotic landscapes
25L · cities represented allegorically or symbolically
25M · the Seven Wonders of the World
26H · still other meteorological phenomena
29 · surrealia, surrealistic representations
29A · animals acting as human beings
29B · plants behaving as human beings or animals
29C · objects coming to life, e.g. puppets
29D · natural forms in stones, wood, clouds, etc. interpreted as representations
3 · Human Being, Man in General
31 · man in a general biological sense
31A · the (nude) human figure; 'Corpo humano' (Ripa)
31C · spirit (or soul) versus body
31D · human life and its ages (young, adult, old, etc.)
31F · symbols and personifications of Death
32 · human types; peoples and nationalities
32B · human races; peoples; nationalities
32C · scientific classification of human races
33 · relations between individual persons
33A · non-aggressive relationships
33B · aggressive relationships, enmity, animosity
33C · relations between the sexes
34A · taming and training of animals
34B · domestic animals, kept in and outside the house
34D · control and eradication of injurious animals
35 · pastorals, Arcadian scenes
36A · environmental conservation, protection
36B · environmental destruction
4 · Society, Civilization, Culture
41 · material aspects of daily life
41E · still life of miscellaneous objects
42A · procreation, birth and (early) youth
42B · parents with their children
42F · household management; housewife at work
42G · family, relationship, descent
42Z · exotic and non-monogamous family forms
43C · sports, games and physical performances
43D · other leisure time activities
44 · state; law; political life
44A · symbols of the state (in general)
44B · government, the State; 'Politica', 'Auttorità o Potestà' (Ripa)
44C · the citizen and his rights
44E · government services, public services
45 · warfare; military affairs
45B · the soldier; the soldier's life
45C · (military) equipment and supply
45D · insignia; division of armed forces; ranks
45E · communication and transport
45G · defensive measures (military)
45H · battle, fighting in general
46 · social and economic life, transport and communication
46B · trade, commerce and finance
46E · post, telegraph and telephone; means of communication
47B · handicrafts and industries
47C · industrial processes, handling of materials
47D · machines; parts of machines; tools and appliances
47E · organization of craft and industry
47F · before and after production
47H · textile industry and clothing industry
47I · agriculture, cattle-breeding, horticulture, flowerculture, etc.
48A · art and the public; styles and ornaments
49 · education, science and learning
49B · scholastic education, tuition
49C · aspects of science in general
49G · medicine, medical science
49K · historical disciplines; philology
49M · production of printed matter, book-production
5 · Abstract Ideas and Concepts
51A · Existence and Modes of Existence
51G · Some Characteristics of Matter
52 · Reasoning and Formation of Ideas
52A · Intelligence and Intellectual Faculties
52C · Understanding and Misunderstanding
52D · Communication of Thought (qualitative aspects)
52E · Communication of Thought (answer and question)
53C · Authority and Subordination
54A · State of Being while Doing
54B · Means and Characteristics of Means
57A · Good and Bad Behaviour, Moral Qualities
58A · Creation and Destruction
59 · Aspects of Social Conduct
61 · historical events and situations; historical persons
61A · historical events and situations
61B · historical persons (portraits and scenes from the life)
61C · proper names of plants and animals
61D · geographical names of countries, regions, mountains, rivers, etc.
61E · names of cities and villages
61F · names of historical buildings, sites, streets, etc.
61G · names of artefacts and man-made objects
61H · names of organizations, companies, trade unions, etc.
61I · names of historical events and situations
61K · (other) historical names
71A · Genesis from the creation to the expulsion from paradise, and later years of Adam and Eve
71B · Genesis from the descendants of Cain and Seth to Abraham
71D · Genesis: the story of Joseph
71K · division of the Kingdom, and story of Israel, the Northern Kingdom
71L · the divided kingdom: story of the Southern Kingdom (Judah)
71N · story of Elisha (Eliseus)
71O · prophets (before and during the Babylonian Captivity)
71P · the story of the prophet Daniel; his visions and prophecies
71R · the books of Ezra, Nehemiah, and Esdras
71S · prophets (after the Babylonian Captivity)
71X · the lyric books: Psalms and Song of Solomon
71Z · (books of the) Maccabees
72 · typological juxtapositions and compositions
72A · typological juxtapositions
72B · comprehensive typological compositions
73A · (scenes from the life of) John the Baptist and Mary
73B · birth and youth of Christ
73C · public life of Christ: from his baptism until the Passion
73F · lives and acts of the apostles of Christ; epistles
73G · the Revelation of John, the Apocalypse
81A · Arthurian legend : Use 81(ARTHURIAN LEGEND)
81B · 'Nibelungenlied' : Use 81(NIBELUNGENLIED)
81C · Dante, 'Divina Commedia' : Use 83(DANTE, Divina Commedia)
81D · Boccaccio, 'Decameron' : Use 83(BOCCACCIO, Decamerone)
81E · Ariosto, 'Orlando Furioso' : Use 83(ARIOSTO, Orlando Furioso)
81F · Tasso, 'Gerusalemme Liberata' : Use 83(TASSO, Gerusalemme Liberata)
81G · 'The Poems of Ossian' : Use 83(MACPHERSON, Poems of Ossian)
81H · other cycles : Use 81(...)
82 · literary characters and objects
82A · names of literary characters
82B · names of fictional animals, plants, objects, etc.
83 · specific works of literature
85A · fables of Aesop : Use 85(...)
85B · fables of Lafontaine : Use 85(...)
85C · other fables : Use 85(...)
9 · Classical Mythology and Ancient History
91 · myths about creation: cosmogony, theogony, and the origin of man
91A · genesis of the universe ~ classical mythology
91B · offspring of Uranus and Gaea (Titans, Cyclopes, Centimani)
91C · the battles (of Titans, Giants, Typhon, Aloeids) with the gods
91D · division of the universe (among Jupiter, Neptune and Pluto)
92 · gods ~ classical mythology
92B · the great gods of Heaven, and their train
92C · the great goddesses of Heaven, and their train
92D · lesser divinities of Heaven ~ serving and attendant environment
92E · lesser divinities of Heaven ~ phenomena of air and sky
92F · lesser divinities of Heaven ~ birth and healing
92G · lesser divinities of Heaven ~ destiny, fate, adversity
92H · gods of the waters: Neptune and his environment
92L · gods of the earth and fertility ~ life in mountains and woods
92M · gods of the earth and fertility ~ agriculture
93 · meetings and dwellings of the gods
93C · Parnassus, sacred to Apollo Musagetes
93D · Helicon, sacred to the Muses
93F · the Garden of the Hesperides
93I · other dwellings of the gods
94 · the Greek heroic legends (I)
94A · the story of the Argonauts: the quest for the Golden Fleece
94B · the Theban wars: the Seven against Thebes and the Epigoni
94C · the Trojan war (94C - 94H)
94D · the Trojan war: the journey to Troy
94E · the Trojan war: the arrival and the first nine years
94G · the tenth year of the Trojan war (part II): Achilles back to war; his last deeds and his death
94H · last months of the siege and the fall of Troy
94I · adventures of the Greeks after the fall of Troy: the wanderings of Ulysses (Homer, Odyssey)
94K · adventures of the Greeks after the fall of Troy: the return of other Greek heroes
94L · (story of) Hercules (Heracles)
94R · (story of) the Dioscuri: Castor (the horse-tamer) and Pollux (the boxer)
95 · the Greek heroic legends (II)
95A · the Greek heroic legends (II): heroes
95B · the Greek heroic legends (II): heroines
96A · Roman deities, and foreign deities included in the classical Pantheon
96B · the story of Aeneas' wanderings to Italy (Virgil, Aeneid)
96C · heroes, male characters from the legendary origins of Rome
96D · heroines, female characters from the legendary origins of Rome
97 · metamorphoses ~ classical mythology
97A · metamorphoses of male persons into trees
97B · metamorphoses of male persons into plants and flowers
97C · metamorphoses of male persons into mammals
97D · metamorphoses of male persons into birds
97E · metamorphoses of male persons into (fabulous) animals
97F · metamorphoses of male persons into stone
97G · metamorphoses of male persons into stars and constellations
97H · metamorphoses of male persons into water, air, or other elements
97I · metamorphoses into islands
97M · metamorphoses into various forms at will
97N · metamorphoses of (fabulous) animals
97O · metamorphoses of objects, plants and flowers
98A · events and situations from classical history