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iconography

図像　—　Reading

The design cut into a coin: a face, a beast, a coat of arms.

Croeseid Croeseidc. BC 550 Athenian owl Athenian owlBC 454–404 Lysimachos Tetradrachm Lysimachos Tetradrachm297–281 BC
A photograph of the real thing this term names.

Even if one cannot read the text, one can understand the pictures. Therefore, iconography was the message that coinage delivered most widely.

Lion, goddess, crown, ship, ear of wheat — all are declarations of 'what this country is founded upon'.

References

  • Iconclass — Henri van de Waal Foundation　A system for classifying the content of images. Started in the 1940s by art historians at Leiden University, it is now in its 4th edition. Used by many museums and libraries for subject searches.

Only works and primary sources whose existence has been verified are listed.