ICON Ontology
type: Ontology
version IRI: https://w3id.org/icon/ontology/2.2.0/
imports: current
imports: http://purl.org/emmedi/hico/2020-03-31
imports: DUL.owl
imports: core
imports: ontology
contributor: Aldo Gangemi (Until version 1.1)
contributor: Marieke van Erp (Until version 1.1)
creator: Bruno Sartini
creator: Sofia Baroncini
bibliographic citation: Bruno Sartini, Sofia Baroncini, Marieke van Erp, Francesca Tomasi, and Aldo Gangemi. 2023. ICON: An Ontology for Comprehensive Artistic Interpretations. J. Comput. Cult. Herit. 16, 3, Article 59 (September 2023), 38 pages. https://doi.org/10.1145/3594724
created: April 12th, 2022
issued: April 12th, 2022
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
publisher: Bruno Sartini
source: The top down development of this ontology followed these sources: Erwin Panofsky. 1972. Studies in iconology: humanistic themes in the art of the Renaissance. Westview Press, Boulder, Colo. OCLC: 1151325340. Max Imdahl. 2012. Iconica. L’intuizione delle immagini. Aisthesis. Pratiche, linguaggi e saperi dell’estetico (2012). Roelof van Straten. 2012. An introduction to iconography (2 ed.). Routledge, London, England. Its development followed these methodologies: Silvio Peroni. 2016. A Simplified Agile Methodology for Ontology Development.. In Proceedings of the 13th OWL: Experiences and Directions Workshop and 5th OWL reasoner evaluation workshop (OWLED-ORE 2016). Springer, Cham, Switzerland, 55–69. https://doi.org/10.6084/M9.FIGSHARE.3189769.V2 Valentina Presutti, Enrico Daga, Aldo Gangemi, and Eva Blomqvist. 2009. EXtreme Design with Content Ontology Design Patterns. In Proceedings of the 2009 International Conference on Ontology Patterns - Volume 516 (Washington DC) (WOP’09). CEUR-WS.org, Aachen, DEU, 83–97.
preferred namespace prefix: icon
comment: The ICON ontology deals with high granularity art interpretation. It was developed by conceptualizing Panofsky's theory of levels of interpretation, therefore artworks can be described according to Pre-iconographical, Iconographical and Iconological information.
backward compatible with: 2.1.0
prior version: 2.1.0
version info: 2.2.0
status: work in progress
change note: **Version 2.2.0 Changelog** Introduction of two new properties: visually Represents recognized Visual Subject Refer to the classes and properties in protege or in the documentation for more explanations on them

About Work Of Art
type: ObjectProperty
inverse of: Has Recognition
domain: Recognition
range: Artwork
comment: This relation associates each Recognition directly to the artwork. In this way, it is possible to retrieve easily all the interpretations about an artwork. Therefore, it a highly recommended good practice to declare it for each interpretation.

associated Color
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: hasQuality
domain: Class
  union of: Artistic Motif
  union of: Image
range: Color
type: NamedIndividual
broad match: Property:P462
comment: This property is used to link an artistic motif or an image to one of the (recognized) colors of the elements recognized in those artistic motifs or images. For instance, expressing "red" in the artistic motif representing a scarf in a work or art.

Associated Form
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: P140 assigned attribute to
inverse of: Is Pure Form Of
domain: Preiconographical Recognition
range: Pure Form
comment: This relation associates a Pure Form to the Pre-iconographical Recognition that describes it at the first level of interpretation.
deprecated: Since 1.1 version

associated Material
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: hasQuality
domain: Class
  union of: Artistic Motif
  union of: Image
range: Material
type: NamedIndividual
broad match: Property:P186
comment: This property is used to link an artistic motif or an image to one of the (recognized) materials of the element that are recognized in those artistic motifs or images. For instance, expressing that the artistic motif representing a crown in a portrait denotes also that the crown is made of bronze. Or that the image of the Thor's Hammer is denoting that the hammer is made of steel.

Composed Of
type: ObjectProperty
inverse of: Takes part in
domain: Invenzione
range: Class
  union of: Character
  union of: Event
  union of: Named Object
  union of: Personification (ICON)
  union of: Place (ICON)
  union of: Symbol
comment: This Property links an invenzione with its components, which may vary from Characters, Events, Named Objects, Places to Personifications, Symbols according to the kind of Invenzione is being described.

Has Artistic Motif
type: ObjectProperty
inverse of: Is artistic motif of
domain: Intrinsic Meaning
range: Artistic Motif
comment: This relation links an Intrinsic Meaning to the Artistic Motif recognized at the first level of interpretation. It should be used to express that the third level meaning associated to the Intrinsic Meaning refers specifically to this Artistic Motif, and not only to the general artwork.

Has Character
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: has Iconographical Subject
inverse of: Is Character Of
domain: Image
range: Character
type: NamedIndividual
broad match: P138 represents
comment: This relation links an image to the Character depicted

Has Composition
type: ObjectProperty
inverse of: Is composition of
domain: Intrinsic Meaning
range: Composition
comment: This relation links an Intrinsic Meaning to the Composition recognized at the first level of interpretation. It should be used to express that the third level meaning associated to the Intrinsic Meaning refers specifically to this Composition, and not only to the general artwork.

Has Compositional Structure
type: ObjectProperty
inverse of: Is Compositional Structure Of
domain: Composition
range: Compositional Structure
comment: This relation describes the arrangement of the Artistic Motifs composing the Composition. It is suggested to use it only when they are arranged in a relevant observable structure (e.g. pyramidal, oblique)

Has Copied Motif
type: ObjectProperty
inverse of: Is Copied Motif Of
domain: Formal Motif Recognition
range: Class
  union of: Artistic Motif
  union of: Composition
type: NamedIndividual
broad match: K4 is visual prototype of
comment: This relation associates to the act of Formal Motif Recognition the Artistic Motif representing the copied visual pattern. To be used when it is affirmed that a specific feature has as a prototype the same feature of a specific visual item.

Has Event
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: has Iconographical Subject
inverse of: Is Event Of
domain: Image
range: Event
type: NamedIndividual
broad match: P138 represents
comment: This relation links an image to the Event depicted

Has Expressional Meaning
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: has Pre-iconographical Subject
inverse of: Is Expressional Meaning Of
domain: Class
  union of: Artistic Motif
  union of: Composition
range: Expressional Quality
type: NamedIndividual
broad match: P138 represents
comment: This relation links the Expressional Meaning recognized to the Artistic Motif

Has Factual Meaning
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: has Pre-iconographical Subject
inverse of: Is Factual Meaning Of
domain: Class
  union of: Artistic Motif
  union of: Composition
range: Class
  union of: Action (ICON)
  union of: Natural Element
type: NamedIndividual
broad match: P138 represents
comment: This relation links the Factual Meaning recognized (Actions or Natural Elements) to the Artistic Motif

has Iconographical Subject
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: Visually Represents
domain: Image
range: Iconographical Subject
comment: This property is used to link an image to the iconographical subject it represents, it is used when it is difficult to distinguish between the different iconographical subjects (for instance in the case of an automatic conversion of data into the ICON ontology)

has Iconological Subject
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: Visually Represents
domain: Intrinsic Meaning
range: Iconological Subject
comment: This property is used to link an intrinstic meaning to the iconological subject it represents. It is useful in the cases where it is difficult to identify the type of the iconological subject (cultural phenomenon, abstract concept...) especially in cases of automatic conversions of data to the ICON ontology structure

Has Image
type: ObjectProperty
inverse of: Is image of
domain: Intrinsic Meaning
range: Image
comment: This relation links an Intrinsic Meaning to the Image recognized at the second level of interpretation. It should be used to express that the third level meaning associated to the Intrinsic Meaning refers specifically to this Image, and not only to the general artwork.

Has Invenzione
type: ObjectProperty
inverse of: Is Invenzione Of
domain: Intrinsic Meaning
range: Invenzione
comment: This relation links an Intrinsic Meaning to the Invenzione recognized at the second level of interpretation. It should be used to express that the third level meaning associated to the Intrinsic Meaning refers specifically to this invenzione, and not only to the general artwork.

Has Named Object
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: has Iconographical Subject
inverse of: Is Named Object Of
domain: Image
range: Named Object
type: NamedIndividual
broad match: P138 represents
comment: This relation links an image to the Named Object depicted

Has Part (ICON)
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: hasPart
inverse of: Part Of (ICON)
domain: Composition
range: Artistic Motif
type: NamedIndividual
broad match: P106 is composed of
comment: This relation links a Composition to the Artistic Motifs of which it consists.

Has Personification
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: has Iconographical Subject
inverse of: Is Personification Of
domain: Image
range: Personification (ICON)
type: NamedIndividual
broad match: P138 represents
comment: This relation links an image to the Personification depicted

Has Place
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: has Iconographical Subject
inverse of: Is Place Of
domain: Image
range: Class
  union of: E53 Place
  union of: Place
type: NamedIndividual
broad match: P138 represents
comment: This relation links an image to the Place depicted

has Pre-iconographical Subject
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: Visually Represents
domain: Artistic Motif
range: Pre-iconographical Subject
comment: This property links an artistic motif with a pre-iconographical subject represented by it, it is used when it is difficult to distinguish between the different types of pre-iconographical subjects (for example in situations where the conversion from interpretation to ICON is made automatically)

Has Prototypical Motif
type: ObjectProperty
inverse of: Is Prototypical Motif Of
domain: Formal Motif Recognition
range: Class
  union of: Artistic Motif
  union of: Composition
type: NamedIndividual
broad match: K4 is visual prototype of
comment: This relation associates to the act of the Recognition of a formal motif to the artistic motif from which the visual pattern derives. It should be used when it is affirmed that a specific feature has as a prototype the same feature of a specific visual item.

Has Rec Attribute
type: ObjectProperty
inverse of: Is Rec Attribute Of
domain: Image
range: Artistic Motif
comment: This relation identifies objects belonging to the level 1 as fundamental for the recognition of a certain subject. It is suggested that the Artistic Motif of the object is included in the Composition corresponding to the subject.

Has Recognition
type: ObjectProperty
domain: Artwork
range: Recognition
comment: Inverse property of aboutWorkOfArt

has Responsible Agent
type: ObjectProperty
property chain axiom: is compliant with iconographical recognition
property chain axiom: P14 carried out by
property chain axiom: includesAgent
property chain axiom: is compliant with iconological recognition
property chain axiom: is compliant with pre-iconographical recognition
comment: This property links the Interpretation Description with all the agents responsible for the recognitions that are part of it

has Role
type: ObjectProperty
domain: Class
  union of: Artistic Motif
  union of: Image
range: Role
comment: This property is used to link an artistic motif or an image to one of the (recognized) roles of the elements recognized in those artistic motifs or images. For instance, expressing that the role of the man recognized in a painting is "butcher", "prince", etc...
label: ICONOntology

Has Symbol
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: has Iconographical Subject
inverse of: Is Symbol Of
domain: Image
range: Class
  union of: Symbol
  union of: Simulation
type: NamedIndividual
broad match: P138 represents
comment: This relation links an image to the Symbol depicted

iconographically complies with
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: satisfies
inverse of: is compliant with iconographical recognition
domain: Iconographical Recognition
range: Interpretation Description
comment: This property is used to link all the iconographical recognitions that take part in one or more interpretation(s), to that/those interpretation(s)

Iconographically Depicts
type: ObjectProperty
property chain axiom: Has Recognition
property chain axiom: Recognized Image
property chain axiom: Has Character
property chain axiom: Has Event
property chain axiom: Has Named Object
property chain axiom: Has Personification
property chain axiom: Has Place
property chain axiom: Has Symbol
property chain axiom: Recognized Invenzione
property chain axiom: Composed Of
comment: This property is used to link an artwork to the element of the second level of interpretation (iconographical) which it depicts. This elements can be Characters, Symbols, Personifications, Places, Stories, Allegories (and the element these stories and allegories are composed of). Example: There is an IconographicalRecognition of Artwork1 of Image1, which is linked to the character Thor through the hasCharacter property. Then Artwork1 iconographicallyDepicts Thor. Example2: There is an IconographicalRecognition of Artwork1 of Story1, which is the story of the death of Julius C. This story is composed by the Place Rome and the character Julius C. (and more...) Then Artwork1 IconographicallyDepicts the story of the death of Julius C., Julius C., and the city of Rome. This link can be created automatically through inference thanks to the super property chain, or it can be written by users who are not planning of including contextual information to the interpretation.

iconologically complies with
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: satisfies
inverse of: is compliant with iconological recognition
domain: Iconological Recognition
range: Interpretation Description
comment: This property is used to link all the iconological recognitions that take part in one or more interpretation(s), to that/those interpretation(s)

Iconologically Represents
type: ObjectProperty
property chain axiom: Has Recognition
property chain axiom: Recognized Intrinsic Meaning
property chain axiom: Recognized Concept
property chain axiom: Recognized Cultural Phenomenon
comment: This property is used to link an artwork to the element of the third level of interpretation (iconological) which it represents. This elements can be Cultural Phenomena, Social Objects (abstract concepts). Example: There is an IconologicalRecognition of Artwork1 of IntrinsicMeaning1, which is linked to the cultural phenomenon of ImitationOfClassics Then Artwork1 iconologicallyRepresents ImitationOfClassics. Example2: There is an IconologicalRecognition of Artwork1 of IntrinsicMeaning2, which is linked to the social object "Absurdity" (and to other elements from other levels that suppor this claim...) Then Artwork1 IconologicallyRepresents Absurdity This link can be created automatically through inference thanks to the super property chain, or it can be written by users who are not planning of including contextual information to the interpretation.

Is artistic motif of
type: ObjectProperty
type: FunctionalProperty
domain: Artistic Motif
range: Intrinsic Meaning
comment: Inverse property of has artistic motif

Is Character Of
type: ObjectProperty
domain: Character
range: Image
comment: Inverse property of hasCharacter

is compliant with iconographical recognition
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: isSatisfiedBy
domain: Interpretation Description
range: Iconographical Recognition
comment: Inverse of iconographically complies with

is compliant with iconological recognition
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: isSatisfiedBy
domain: Interpretation Description
range: Preiconographical Recognition
comment: inverse of iconologically complies with

is compliant with pre-iconographical recognition
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: isSatisfiedBy
inverse of: pre-iconographically complies with
domain: Interpretation Description
range: Class
  union of: Formal Motif Recognition
  union of: Preiconographical Recognition
comment: Inverse of pre-iconographically complies with

Is composition of
type: ObjectProperty
domain: Composition
range: Intrinsic Meaning
comment: Inverse property of has composition

Is Compositional Structure Of
type: ObjectProperty
domain: Compositional Structure
range: Composition
comment: Inverse property of hasCompositionalStructure

Is Copied Motif Of
type: ObjectProperty
domain: Class
  union of: Artistic Motif
  union of: Composition
range: Formal Motif Recognition
comment: Inverse property of hasCopiedMotif

Is Cultural Phenomenon Of
type: ObjectProperty
inverse of: Recognized Cultural Phenomenon
domain: Cultural Phenomenon
range: Intrinsic Meaning
comment: Inverse property of recognizedCulturalPhenomenon

Is Event Of
type: ObjectProperty
domain: Event
range: Image
comment: Inverse property of hasEvent

Is Expressional Meaning Of
type: ObjectProperty
domain: Expressional Quality
range: Class
  union of: Artistic Motif
  union of: Composition
comment: Inverse property of hasExpressionalMeaning

Is Factual Meaning Of
type: ObjectProperty
domain: Class
  union of: Action (ICON)
  union of: Natural Element
range: Class
  union of: Artistic Motif
  union of: Composition
comment: Inverse property of hasFactualMeaning

Is Iconographically Recognized By
type: ObjectProperty
inverse of: Recognized Image
domain: Image
range: Iconographical Recognition
comment: Inverse property of recognizedImage

Is iconographically referred by
type: ObjectProperty
inverse of: Refers To Artistic Motif
domain: Class
  union of: Artistic Motif
  union of: Composition
range: Iconographical Recognition
comment: Inverse property of refers to artistic motif

Is image of
type: ObjectProperty
domain: Image
range: Intrinsic Meaning
comment: Inverse property of has image

Is Intrinsic Meaning Of
type: ObjectProperty
inverse of: Recognized Intrinsic Meaning
domain: Intrinsic Meaning
range: Iconological Recognition
comment: Inverse property of recognized intrinsic meaning

Is Invenzione Of
type: ObjectProperty
domain: Invenzione
range: Intrinsic Meaning
comment: Inverse property of hasInvenzione

Is Named Object Of
type: ObjectProperty
domain: Named Object
range: Image
comment: Inverse property of hasNamedObject

Is Personification Of
type: ObjectProperty
domain: Personification (ICON)
range: Image
comment: Inverse property of hasPersonification

Is Place Of
type: ObjectProperty
domain: Place
range: Image
comment: Inverse property of hasPlace

Is Prototypical Motif Of
type: ObjectProperty
domain: Class
  union of: Artistic Motif
  union of: Composition
range: Formal Motif Recognition
comment: Inverse property of hasPrototypicalMotif

Is Pure Form Of
type: ObjectProperty
domain: Pure Form
range: Preiconographical Recognition
comment: Inverse property of associatedForm
deprecated: since 1.1 version

Is Rec Attribute Of
type: ObjectProperty
domain: Artistic Motif
range: Image
comment: Inverse property of hasRecAttribute

Is Recogn Of
type: ObjectProperty
inverse of: Recognized Invenzione
domain: Invenzione
range: Iconographical Recognition
comment: Inverse property of recognizedInvenzione

Is Recognized Artistic Motif Of
type: ObjectProperty
inverse of: Recognized Artistic Motif
domain: Artistic Motif
range: Preiconographical Recognition
comment: Inverse property of recognized artistic motif

Is Recognized Composition Of
type: ObjectProperty
inverse of: Recognized Composition
domain: Composition
range: Preiconographical Recognition
comment: Inverse property of recognizedComposition

Is Recognized Concept Of
type: ObjectProperty
inverse of: Recognized Concept
domain: SocialObject
range: Intrinsic Meaning
comment: Inverse property of recognizedConcept

Is Symbol Of
type: ObjectProperty
domain: Class
  union of: Symbol
  union of: Simulation
range: Image
comment: Inverse property of has symbol

Part Of (ICON)
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: isPartOf
domain: Artistic Motif
range: Composition
comment: Inverse property of hasPart

pre-iconographically complies with
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: satisfies
domain: Class
  union of: Formal Motif Recognition
  union of: Preiconographical Recognition
range: Interpretation Description
comment: This property is used to link all the pre-iconographical and formal motif recognitions recognitions that take part in one or more interpretation(s), to that/those interpretation(s)

Pre-iconographically Depicts
type: ObjectProperty
property chain axiom: Has Recognition
property chain axiom: Recognized Artistic Motif
property chain axiom: P138 represents
property chain axiom: Has Expressional Meaning
property chain axiom: Has Factual Meaning
property chain axiom: Recognized Composition
property chain axiom: Has Part (ICON)
comment: This property is used to link an artwork to the element of the first level of interpretation (pre-iconographical) which it depicts. This element can be a Natural Element, an Action, Expression, or an element included in a recognized Composition (again, natural element, action, expression). Example: There is a PreiconographicalRecognition of Artwork1 of ArtisticMotif1, which is linked to the natural element bear. Then Artwork1 preiconographicallyDepicts bear. Example2: There is a PreiconographicalRecognition of Artwork1 of ArtisticMotif2, which is linked to the composition1, composed by a bear and the action of eating. Then Artwork1 preiconographicallyDepicts bear and eating. This link can be created automatically through inference thanks to the super property chain, or it can be written by users who are not planning of including contextual information to the interpretation.

Recognized Artistic Motif
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: Recognized Visual Subject
domain: Preiconographical Recognition
range: Artistic Motif
type: NamedIndividual
broad match: P141 assigned
comment: This relation associates the Artistic Motif to the Pre-iconographical Recognition that recognizes it at the first level of interpretation.

Recognized Composition
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: Recognized Visual Subject
domain: Preiconographical Recognition
range: Composition
type: NamedIndividual
broad match: P141 assigned
comment: This relation associates the Composition to the Pre-iconographical Recognition that recognizes it at the first level of interpretation.

Recognized Concept
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: has Iconological Subject
domain: Intrinsic Meaning
range: SocialObject
comment: This relation expresses the Concept that is related to the Intrinsic Meaning

Recognized Cultural Phenomenon
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: has Iconological Subject
domain: Intrinsic Meaning
range: Cultural Phenomenon
comment: This relation expresses the Cultural Phenomenon that is related to the Intrinsic Meaning

Recognized Genre
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: P141 assigned
domain: Recognition
range: Art Genre
comment: This property is substituted by the the solution adopted by linked.art using crm:P2_has_type as follows: <subject>, crm:P2_has_type, <specific style term>. <specific style term> crm:P2_has_type, <http://vocab.getty.edu/aat/300015646> # the AAT term indicating the concept of style.
deprecated: since new version 25/03

Recognized Image
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: Recognized Visual Subject
domain: Iconographical Recognition
range: Image
type: NamedIndividual
broad match: P141 assigned
comment: This relation associates the Image to the Iconographical Recognition that recognizes it at the second level of interpretation.

Recognized Intrinsic Meaning
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: Recognized Visual Subject
domain: Iconological Recognition
range: Intrinsic Meaning
comment: This relation associates the Intrinsic Meaning to the Iconological Recognition that recognizes it at the third level of interpretation.

Recognized Invenzione
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: topObjectProperty
domain: Iconographical Recognition
range: Invenzione
type: NamedIndividual
broad match: P141 assigned
comment: This relation associates the Invenzione to the Iconographical Recognition that recognizes it at the second level of interpretation.

Recognized Visual Subject
type: ObjectProperty
domain: Recognition
range: Visual Subject
comment: This property is used to link a Recognition to the recognized Visual Subject.

Refers To Artistic Motif
type: ObjectProperty
sub property of: P140 assigned attribute to
domain: Iconographical Recognition
range: Class
  union of: Artistic Motif
  union of: Composition
comment: This relation associates a Composition or an Artistic Motif to the Iconographical Recognition that describes it at the second level of interpretation.

Takes part in
type: ObjectProperty
domain: Class
  union of: Character
  union of: Event
  union of: Named Object
  union of: Personification (ICON)
  union of: Place (ICON)
  union of: Symbol
range: Invenzione
comment: Inverse property of composed of

Visually Represents
type: ObjectProperty
domain: Visual Subject
range: Subject
comment: This property is used to link a Visual Subject (the subject visually represented in the specific artwork) with the general subject entity (for instance the controlled vocabulary entry). Example: the image of Hercules in the Farnese Hercules linked to the general Hercules subject expressed in Iconclass (94L) or the URI of the "general" Hercules in the KG. For specific interpretation-level relationships, see and use one of this property's subproperties.

Quantity
type: DatatypeProperty
domain: Artistic Motif
range: Datatype
  union of: anyURI
  union of: integer
  union of: string
type: NamedIndividual
broad match: Property:P1114
comment: ICONOntology
comment: This data property expresses the number or elements represented in an artistic motif, especially when the recognition of each element is not needed

Region Description
type: DatatypeProperty
domain: Class
  union of: Artistic Motif
  union of: Composition
range: Literal
comment: This data property can be used to link an artistic motif or a composition with their coordinates in the image of the artwork in which they are recognized. These coordinates could indicate the bounding boxes of the detections of a computer vision algorithms or could also be the IIIF URI that selects the part of the image of the painting in which the artistic motif or the composition are found

Character
type: Class
subclass of: E28 Conceptual Object
type: NamedIndividual

Action (ICON)
type: Class
subclass of: Event
subclass of: Pre-iconographical Subject
type: NamedIndividual
broad match: E5 Event
comment: An event as recognized at level 1 of interpretation, e.g. a man who lifts one hand or a man riding a horse. Generally, all the actions should be described by this class. When an action is identified, it is suggested to create a Composition with all the elements involved in this action

Allegory
type: Class
subclass of: Invenzione
subclass of: Class
  union of: Restriction
    on property: Composed Of
    some values from: Personification (ICON)
  union of: Restriction
    on property: Composed Of
    some values from: Symbol
type: NamedIndividual
broad match: E1 CRM Entity
comment: An Allegory is a cohese combination of images that represent either symbols of personifications. Allegories are recognized in the context of iconographical recognition; their recognition can be included in an Iconographical Description. This definition of Allegory has been taken from Panofsky's Studies in Iconology (1939). Nevertheless, also a story can have a symbolical meaning. In this case, it is suggested to associate a Story to the images describing its content, an allegory to the images describing the story and the symbolical meaning associated to it. E.g.: the fall of Phaeton was generally considered as an allegory of the fate of every temerarius (Panofsky 1939, p. 218). Therefore, the image identifying Phaeton is linked both to the Allegory and to the Story.

Art Genre
type: Class
comment: This class is substituted by the the solution adopted by linked.art using crm:P2_has_type as follows: <subject>, crm:P2_has_type, <specific style term>. <specific style term> crm:P2_has_type, <http://vocab.getty.edu/aat/300015646> # the AAT term indicating the concept of style.
deprecated: since new version 25/03

Artistic Motif
type: Class
subclass of: Visual Subject
subclass of: Class
  union of: Restriction
    on property: Has Expressional Meaning
    min qualified cardinality: 1
    on class: Expressional Quality
  union of: Restriction
    on property: Has Factual Meaning
    min qualified cardinality: 1
    on class: Class
      union of: Action (ICON)
      union of: Natural Element
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: Is Recognized Artistic Motif Of
  qualified cardinality: 1
  on class: Preiconographical Recognition
type: NamedIndividual
broad match: E36 Visual Item
comment: An ArtisticMotif is the output of a Pre Iconographic Recognition. It is a N-ary relationship class linking the physical unique representation depicted in an artwork to the corresponding real world meaning recognized. Each artistic motif describes exactly one meaning among: Natural Element, Action, Expression Quality. Qualities (e.g. colors) can be expressed. The N-ary structure allow first of all to maintain the distinction between the particular representation belonging to the artwork considered and the general meaning of which the representation is an expression. Furthermore, it allows to carefully describe in detail what is represented in the visual representation, since it gives the chance to identify uniquely details of objects and iconographies.

Artwork
type: Class
subclass of: InformationObject
type: NamedIndividual
broad match: E36 Visual Item
comment: The artwork is a visual representation that may be relevant from an iconographical or an iconological point of view, carried by a physical cultural object (dul:InformationRealization) usually created by a person.

Attitude
type: Class
subclass of: Cultural Phenomenon
comment: Example term taken from Panofsky's studies, can be used as a specification of a cultural phenomemon if it can be considered an Attitude

Belief
type: Class
subclass of: Cultural Phenomenon
comment: Example term taken from Panofsky's studies, can be used as a specification of a cultural phenomemon if it can be considered a Belief

Character
type: Class
subclass of: Iconographical Subject
type: NamedIndividual
narrow match: Character
comment: A Character is a real or imaginary being identifiable as a subject in the Iconographical Analysis (level 2 of interpretation)

Color
type: Class
subclass of: Quality
comment: Class representing the color of an entity represented in an Artistic Motif or Image

Composition
type: Class
subclass of: Visual Subject
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: hasPart
  min qualified cardinality: 1
  on class: Artistic Motif
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: Is Recognized Composition Of
  qualified cardinality: 1
  on class: Preiconographical Recognition
type: NamedIndividual
broad match: E36 Visual Item
comment: A Composition is a jointly of ArtisticMotif having a meaning. It can be recognized as corresponding to the same image at the second level or interpretation, or can explicit groupings of level 1 elements that the descriptor considers significant. Its is suggested to express the level 1 elements involved every time that there is an action (e.g. the action "lifting" in the context of "man lifting a woman" should be grouped in a composition including the artistic motifs corresponding respectively to "man", "woman, "lifting")

Compositional Structure
type: Class
comment: The compositional structure identifies relevant structures that can be recognized in the layout of Artistic Motifs in a Composition, e.g. pyramidal, symmetrical.

Cultural Phenomenon
type: Class
subclass of: Iconological Subject
comment: The cultural phenomenon entity expresses the cultural, social and historical aspects of which the work of art can be document. The iconographical evolution of subjects can have a cultural meaning as well. Also the personal characteristics of the artist, or of the patron, can be involved (Wittkower, Van Straten). The cultural phenomena are the object of investigation of an iconological interpretation (Van Straten, 2012, p. 12), which is considered, in the current work, a level 3 interpretation.

Cultural Value
type: Class
subclass of: Cultural Phenomenon
comment: Example term taken from Panofsky's studies, can be used as a specification of a cultural phenomemon if it can be considered a CulturalValue

Event
type: Class
subclass of: Iconographical Subject
type: NamedIndividual
related: E89 Propositional Object
comment: An Event is an action that is depicted as subject by an artwork. It differs from the first level Action since it requires deeper interpretation to be identified. For example, the act of hurling the Trident (Action) held by Neptune in some iconographies is interpreted as the act of calming the storm (Event) provoked by Juno in Virgil's Aeneid book 1. Furthermore, an Event is linked to a icon:Image, and not to a icon:Artistic Motif. This class includes also events having a proper identity, such as historical events (e.g. the Battle of Cascina).

Expressional Quality
type: Class
subclass of: SocialObject
subclass of: Pre-iconographical Subject
type: NamedIndividual
broad match: E1 CRM Entity
comment: An Expression Quality corresponds to the "expressional subject matter" described by Panofsky (1939), which belongs, along with the factual ones, to the Primary or natural subject matter of a work of art. Indeed, it individuates, by way of example, emotions, an atmosphere, the character of a person.

Formal Motif Recognition
type: Class
subclass of: Recognition
subclass of: Class
  union of: Restriction
    on property: Has Copied Motif
    qualified cardinality: 1
    on class: Artistic Motif
  union of: Restriction
    on property: Has Copied Motif
    qualified cardinality: 1
    on class: Composition
subclass of: Class
  union of: Restriction
    on property: Has Prototypical Motif
    qualified cardinality: 1
    on class: Artistic Motif
  union of: Restriction
    on property: Has Prototypical Motif
    qualified cardinality: 1
    on class: Composition
comment: The act of recognizing that subjects depicted by different artworks has the same formal motifs although the content represented may be different. The need of the usage of this class emerged from a bottom-up approach, rather than Panofsky's theory. It describes that certain subjects are prototypes of others, including preliminary drawings, but also cases in which another artist copied only the composition or gestures from another artwork. This recognition can link every specific part of a representation to the specific prototypes. The relation is between level 1 objects, i.e. Artistic Motifs and Composition, since it describes a formal aspect. Example of usage: if Hercules carrying the Boar is the prototype for a Christ carrying a deer, symbol of the human souls, it's possible to relate directly the boar represented in the former artwork to the deer represented in the latter.

Iconographical Description
type: Class
subclass of: Interpretation Description
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: P70 documents
  all values from: Iconographical Recognition
comment: An Iconographical Description is the enumeration of iconographical recognitions of images or invenzioni recognized by one or more agents. It is thus a collection of triples. It is the summary of what would be called in Panofsky's term the second level of interpretation.
deprecated: from version 1.1

Iconographical Recognition
type: Class
subclass of: Recognition
subclass of: Class
  union of: Restriction
    on property: Recognized Image
    qualified cardinality: 1
    on class: Image
  union of: Restriction
    on property: Recognized Invenzione
    qualified cardinality: 1
    on class: Invenzione
comment: A Iconographical Recognition is a n-ary relationship class that links the artwork described (and, if available, the Artistic Motifs recognized at the previous level along with their compositions) to the Images recognized, or directly to the Invenzione that results from the grouping of the subject depicted by each single image. The N-ary structure is necessary in order to include relevant additional information concerning the visual interpretation claimed.

Iconographical Subject
type: Class
subclass of: Subject
comment: This class represents all the iconographical subjects of an artwork recognized in images

Iconographical Synthesis
type: Class
subclass of: Interpretation Description
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: P70 documents
  all values from: Iconological Recognition
comment: An Iconographical Synthesis is the enumeration of iconological recognitions of intrinsic meanings recognized by one or more agents concerning a work of art. It is thus a collection of triples. It is the summary of what would be called in Panofsky's term the third level of interpretation.
deprecated: from version 1.1

Iconological Recognition
type: Class
subclass of: Recognition
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: Recognized Intrinsic Meaning
  qualified cardinality: 1
  on class: Intrinsic Meaning
comment: An Iconological Recognition is a n-ary relationship class that links the artwork described (and optionally all the subjects represented at the first and second level of interpretation) to the Intrinsic Meanings recognized. The N-ary structure is necessary in order to include relevant additional information concerning the visual interpretation claimed. This class can represent: (1) the third level act of Interpretation described by Panofsky (1939), without a distinction between a overall artwork symbolic meaning and a societal aspect, (2) the third and second level described by Van Straten, according to the value associated to the intrinsic meaning, (3) the iconic act of interpretation described by Imdahl (2012), when the intrinsic meaning is directly linked to level 1 characteristics of the image.

Iconological Subject
type: Class
subclass of: Subject
label: This class represents all the iconological subjects of an artwork recognized through an intrinstic meaning

Image
type: Class
subclass of: Visual Subject
subclass of: Class
  union of: Restriction
    on property: Has Character
    min qualified cardinality: 1
    on class: Character
  union of: Restriction
    on property: Has Event
    min qualified cardinality: 1
    on class: Event
  union of: Restriction
    on property: Has Named Object
    min qualified cardinality: 1
    on class: Named Object
  union of: Restriction
    on property: Has Personification
    min qualified cardinality: 1
    on class: Personification (ICON)
  union of: Restriction
    on property: Has Place
    min qualified cardinality: 1
    on class: Place (ICON)
  union of: Restriction
    on property: Has Symbol
    min qualified cardinality: 1
    on class: Class
      union of: Symbol
      union of: Simulation
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: Is Iconographically Recognized By
  qualified cardinality: 1
  on class: Iconographical Recognition
type: NamedIndividual
broad match: E36 Visual Item
comment: Image is a reification class linking the identified second level subject (namely: Characters, Events, Places, Named Objects, Symbols and Personifications) to the specific interpretation that recognizes it. It represents the subject depicted as a manifestation in the specific artwork taken into account, in contrast to the second level subjects cited and Invenzione, identifying iconographies from an abstract and general point of view. This distinction between the general subject level and the artwork-specific one is functional to identify the variants of a subject in relation to the specific context.

Interpretation Description
type: Class
subclass of: Description
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: is compliant with iconographical recognition
  some values from: Iconographical Recognition
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: is compliant with iconological recognition
  some values from: Iconological Recognition
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: is compliant with pre-iconographical recognition
  some values from: Class
    union of: Formal Motif Recognition
    union of: Preiconographical Recognition
type: NamedIndividual
broad match: E31 Document
comment: The Interpretation Description is a class collecting all the triples describing each recognition in each level that shares a unique interpretative perspective. For example, it allows to collect claims agreeing each other or to describe the situation in which an art historian attributes to other art historians some details of the general interpretation he claims. Recognitions in disagree with each other should be documented in different descriptions. For example, the interpretation made in 1699 recognising Regnaudin's statuette as depicting "Time carrying off the Truth" is listed in a different description form the interpretation recognising "The rape of Cybele" as its subject (Wittkower).

Intrinsic Meaning
type: Class
subclass of: Visual Subject
subclass of: Class
  union of: Class
    intersection of: Restriction
      on property: Recognized Concept
      qualified cardinality: 1
      on class: SocialObject
    intersection of: Restriction
      on property: Recognized Cultural Phenomenon
      qualified cardinality: 1
      on class: Cultural Phenomenon
  union of: Class
    union of: Restriction
      on property: Recognized Concept
      qualified cardinality: 1
      on class: SocialObject
    union of: Restriction
      on property: Recognized Cultural Phenomenon
      qualified cardinality: 1
      on class: Cultural Phenomenon
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: Is Intrinsic Meaning Of
  qualified cardinality: 1
  on class: Iconological Recognition
type: NamedIndividual
broad match: E36 Visual Item
comment: N-ary relatioship class linking the identified cultural phenomenon or deeper meaning to the whole artwork or to the specific part of its representation and to the interpretation that identifies it. From a theoretical point of view, it corresponds to the manifestation in the specific artwork of the concepts and cultural phenomena identified by the iconological analysis. The terminology is taken from Panofsky (1939, 1955).

Invenzione
type: Class
subclass of: Subject
type: NamedIndividual
broad match: E1 CRM Entity
comment: An Invenzione, term taken from Panofsky's Studies in Iconology (1939), is the subject matter represented by the combination of the single images recognized. The recognition of an Invenzione happens in the context of the iconographical recognition and it is included in the Iconographical Description. This definition slightly differs from the Panofsky's one: while he describes an invenzione as a form expressing the subject, we consider it as an individual belonging to the "sphere of secondary or conventional subject matter, viz., the world of specific themes or concepts manifested in images [...]". This new definition has been introduced to allow to formalize and recognize subjects represented in different artworks. Nevertheless, the identity of form and subject is already included in the definition of the class Artwork. Story and Allegory are subclasses of Invenzione.

Material
type: Class
subclass of: Quality
comment: This class represent the material expressed in an artistic motif or image (referring to the element recognized in them)

Named Object
type: Class
subclass of: Iconographical Subject
type: NamedIndividual
related: E89 Propositional Object
comment: A named object is a non-living unique element that is often used as an attribute for the recognition of specific characters or as the individuals of a more general concept class. (e.g. Bible for the Book class)

Natural Element
type: Class
subclass of: Pre-iconographical Subject
type: NamedIndividual
broad match: E1 CRM Entity
comment: Comprises objects, human beings, natural elements that can be experienced. They are recognized at the first level of interpretation.

Personification (ICON)
type: Class
subclass of: Iconographical Subject
type: NamedIndividual
comment: A representation of a concept through a human figure

Place (ICON)
type: Class
subclass of: Iconographical Subject
type: NamedIndividual
related: E89 Propositional Object
comment: An identified setting, e.g. the city of Bologna, which is recognized as a Level 2 subject. The recognition of a generic city is formally represented by the Natural Element class (level 1).

Preiconographical Description
type: Class
subclass of: Interpretation Description
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: P70 documents
  all values from: Class
    union of: Formal Motif Recognition
    union of: Preiconographical Recognition
comment: A Pre-iconographical description is the enumeration of the Pre-Iconographical Recognitions of a certain work of art, performed by one or more agents. It is thus a collection of triples constituting the documentation of the interpretation at level 1. The term and its definition is taken from Panofsky's Studies in Iconology (1939).
deprecated: from version 1.1

Preiconographical Recognition
type: Class
subclass of: Recognition
subclass of: Class
  union of: Restriction
    on property: Recognized Artistic Motif
    qualified cardinality: 1
    on class: Artistic Motif
  union of: Restriction
    on property: Recognized Composition
    qualified cardinality: 1
    on class: Composition
comment: A Pre-iconographical recognition is a n-ary relationship class that links the artwork described (and optionally the Pure Forms composing it) to the Artistic Motifs recognized as carrier of meaning at the first level of analysis. The N-ary structure is necessary in order to include relevant additional information concerning the visual interpretation claimed.

Pre-iconographical Subject
type: Class
subclass of: Subject
comment: This class is used to represent all the preiconographical subjects that can be recognized in an artistic motif

Pure Form
type: Class
comment: A pure form represents the physical portion of the work of art in which artistic motifs are found. It has been introduced as a way to include the results of analysis performed by computational agents, that are able to classify images and give image coordinates for specific recognition. It is not recommended to be used by manual annotators or in any case in which the coordinates of the image of the work of art are not considered. If available, the Pure form can represent the region of an image identified by IIIF Image API.
comment: Change the definition to the formal representation that can be enclosed in a certain coordinate.
deprecated: from 1.1 version

Recognition
type: Class
subclass of: InterpretationAct
subclass of: Situation
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: includesAgent
  qualified cardinality: 1
  on class: Agent
subclass of: Restriction
  on property: About Work Of Art
  qualified cardinality: 1
  on class: Artwork
type: NamedIndividual
broad match: E13 Attribute Assignment
comment: A recognition, in the context of this ontology, is an interpretation act made by an agent (biological or electronic being) that links works of arts to something related to their content. More specific recognitions are available as subclasses for specific types of recognition according to the level of interpretation.

Role
type: Class
subclass of: Quality
comment: This class represents the Role of an element recognized in an artistic motif or an image.

Story
type: Class
subclass of: Invenzione
subclass of: Class
  union of: Restriction
    on property: Composed Of
    some values from: Place
  union of: Restriction
    on property: Composed Of
    some values from: Character
  union of: Restriction
    on property: Composed Of
    some values from: Event
  union of: Restriction
    on property: Composed Of
    some values from: Named Object
type: NamedIndividual
broad match: E1 CRM Entity
comment: A story is a cohese combination of images that represent narrative elements such as Characters, Places, Events, Named Objects. The recognition of a story happens in the context of an Iconographical Recognition, and it is included in an Iconographical Description. As the super class Invenzione, it concerns the word of the subject matter. It is not necessary to have multiple images to compose a story.

Symbol
type: Class
equivalent class: Simulation
subclass of: Iconographical Subject
type: NamedIndividual
broad match: E90 Symbolic Object
comment: A Symbol is the class representing the unity of a symbol and its symbolic meaning that can be expressed by an Image. The represented object (Simulacrum) and the symbolical meaning expressed (Reality Counterpart) along with the type of relation linking them if further represented by the Simulation Ontology.

Tendency
type: Class
subclass of: Cultural Phenomenon
comment: Example term taken from Panofsky's studies, can be used as a specification of a cultural phenomemon if it can be considered a tendency

Visual Subject
type: Class
comment: A visual subject is the representation of the subject in specific artwork, in contrast with the arco:Subject which is used to define a general subject which can be shared by multiple artworks. For example, the image representing Christ in the Last Supper is a visual Subject because it is intended as only that representation for that specific artwork. The character referred by that image (Christ) would be an arco:Subject, and it can shared by all the artworks that have a specific image that refers to Christ.