Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with iconography

Some papers have stars upon thars...

Ogre Lawless — Tue, 12 May 2009 10:52:15 -0800

***** -- My local paper's masthead incorporates a number of stars at the top of the page. I could have sworn I've seen this on other papers but apparently not on our not on our other regional rag. Is this just a bit of layout eye candy or do they have some significance?

Fishes upon fishes? Allegorical iconography?

shirobara — Mon, 30 Jun 2008 19:07:32 -0800

What, if anything, is this picture from the comic book Castle Waiting based on? I'm with Tolly here, I don't understand allegorical iconography. Is it based on an existing picture or concept? There's no explanation from the author anywhere, and it hasn't appeared in the comic before or since.

The gasmask in street art

Chrischris — Thu, 13 Sep 2007 07:41:07 -0800

What's with the persistent gas-mask motif one finds in so much contemporary graffiti & "street art"? I first noticed it a number of years back in Banksy's work, but now it seems to be pretty much ubiquitous. Is there some association or cultural resonance (beyond the obvious Great War and Pink Floyd references) to this iconography that I'm missing?

Where can I get a religious icon appraised?

Alexandros — Sun, 25 Jun 2006 21:25:02 -0800

I have a several-centuries-old Greek icon. Where can I bring it to get it appraised and learn more about its history? I am not an art collector. I sort of "inherited" this thing because it's been passed down through my family. In Greece the oldest son in a family is always named after the paternal grandfather, so the same name goes back centuries, and the name on the back panel of the icon is my ancestor's name, which is my name. It's really kind of strange when I think about it, and it's also one of the reasons I would never sell the icon, but I do want to know more about it.

I've been told I have to find an iconography expert, and I'm looking primarily in the NYNJ/CT area. I'm a young professional with lots of bills, so I want to know what I'm getting into -- how much does it generally cost to get something like this appraised? How do I know I'm going to a reputable place? Any other advice for someone with no knowledge of these things?

Medieval Christian iconography - why a ball?

saffron — Tue, 06 Dec 2005 07:00:42 -0800

What is the significance of Christ holding a ball/globe in Medieval Christian art? Such as in this work: http://www.mfa.org/collections/search_art.asp?recview=true&id=64974&coll_keywords=soissons&coll_accession=&coll_name=&coll_artist=&coll_place=&coll_medium=&coll_culture=&coll_classification=&coll_credit=&coll_provenance=&coll_location=&coll_has_images=&coll_on_view=&coll_sort=0&coll_sort_order=0&coll_package=0&coll_start=1

He holds it in his left hand.

Pictograms for web application?

idest — Sun, 27 Feb 2005 10:31:15 -0800

I'm working on a project for a content management application and need to create an icon for each of 2 types of documents. I'm stumped. The icons need to be visually distinct from each other and not reliant upon a color change to indicate the difference. They need to be devoid of cultural connotations and they need to be pretty tiny, so it would be best that they only have one or two elements. The two types of documents they will represent are:

1) Living Documents: compiled on the fly from the latest approved versions of content available in the data source.

2) Legacy Documents: scanned static documents that previously existed only in paper format.

I need ideas (just description - no need to draw anything)!

Standard Religious Iconography to Show Subject is Demonic/Unholy?

DaShiv — Sun, 30 May 2004 15:16:59 -0800

In religious iconography, there are standardized symbols to depict "holiness" in figures--haloes, rays, flames, those little horns on Moses's forehead, etc. Are there equivalent "anti-haloes" for demonic/unholy icons? Any links to examples would be appreciated. Non-western examples welcome.

Icons: What are the most intuitive indicator icons for a web application to mean "not yet started," "in progress," and "completed"?

oissubke — Thu, 06 May 2004 23:24:02 -0800

Red means stop....or does it? I'm developing an icon set for a web application, and I'm looking for indicators to mean "not yet started," "in progress," and "completed." My inclination is to go with red, yellow, green, but my experience with traffic lights seems to indicate that green (you haven't started, so go), yellow, and red (you're done, so stop) might be more logical. Anyone have any suggestions on which would be more intuitive?