Welcome to the Iconclass website. Iconclass is a classification system designed for art and iconography. It is the most widely accepted scientific tool for the description and retrieval of subjects represented in images (works of art, book illustrations, reproductions, photographs, etc.) and is used by museums and art institutions around the world.

The Netherlands Institute for Art History (Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie, or RKD) in The Hague acquired the Iconclass software in September 2006. Since then, the RKD has been responsible for the daily management and the further development of the Iconclass system. This activity fits in with the RKD’s role as a terminology-managing institution dedicated to ensuring that automated processes are equipped with controlled vocabulary structures, which can be used for digital descriptions of cultural artefacts.

The Iconclass system is accessible via the Iconclass 2100 Browser.

via Iconclass | Home.