Iconclass plus Edition

Standardization is the future

The comprehensive classification system for the content of images.

Iconclass is used to provide subject access to their collections by many museums and libraries, but its vocabulary covers a spectrum of visual communication that is broader than that of the traditional cultural heritage domain.

This is the fourth edition of the online Iconclass Browser. In addition to the classification system it offers a dataset of images, a bibliography and deep links to related sources.

To guarantee a stable and sustainable online presence of Iconclass, free of charge, the Foundation will need the active support of the Iconclass user community. From July 1st 2024 the Iconclass Consortium will be open for membership.

Iconclass started as the idea of Henri van de Waal, professor of Art History at Leiden university. He laid the groundwork from the 1940’s forward. It was first published in printed form and then digitized. It is maintained and further developed under the auspices of the Henri van de Waal Foundation, but for a stable and sustainable future the Foundation will need the active support of the Iconclass user community.