6. Iconography Names

The names used to refer to the subject, including the preferred form of the name, which is the form most commonly found in published sources. This field also includes synonyms and variant names for the subject.

• Examples:

  • Listed with Qualifier for context.

    • Olouaipipilele (Kuna deity)
    • Ugaijn (Japanese deity)
    • Herakles (Greco-Roman character)
    • Three Pure Ones (Taoist characters)
    • Niflheim (Norse legendary place)
    • El Dorado (American legendary place)
    • Mi’raj (Islamic narrative)
    • Bouddha couché (Buddhist narrative)
    • Maori Creation Story (Maori narrative)
    • Charles Martel, History of (French narrative)
    • Adorazione dei Magi (Christian narrative)
    • Virgin Hodegetria (Christian theme)
    • Star-Crossed Love (miscellaneous theme)
    • Coronation of Napoleon I (French history, 1804)
    • Trail of Tears (American history, 1838-1839)
    • Temple of Liberty (allegorical built work)
    • Atala (novella, Chateaubriand, 1801)
    • Judgement of the Goddesses (dialogue, Lucian, 2nd century)
    • Guanyin Sutra (Buddhist sutra)

Free text, Unicode.

The same authoritative sources that are appropriate for the rest of the record.

It is important to include names identifying the subject and facilitating effective retrieval. One name is flagged as the so-called preferred name, which means that it is a default value, to be used for display in results lists and other contexts. All names are equal in retrieval and users are encouraged to use whichever name best suits their requirements.

All iconography names in the IA record should be exact synonyms, interchangeable (as warranted by sources) in describing the subject concept. For example, if, based on warrant by sources, iconography name B (Used For) does not have exactly the same meaning as iconography name A (the record-preferred name), make a separate record for iconography name B.

The language of the name should be included, so that users who prefer other languages may find the name they require.

The sources of the name should be included. If the name derives from an existing subject authority, such as Iconclass or the Library of Congress Authorities, include the unique identifier of the subject for that authority so that links may be made between those sources and the the IA. (The unique identifier is recorded in the Page field, as described below.)

Required: Record one or more names, terms, appellations, or other identifying phrases for the subject. It is required to record at least one name, the preferred name, which is the name or term used most often in scholarly literature to refer to the subject. The preferred name serves as a default name for displays and other purposes. Any name may be used for indexing; all names are equal in retrieval.

Unique Concepts Only

Note that the iconography record must stand for a unique, definable subject concept. All iconography names in the record should be exact synonyms, interchangeable (as warranted by sources) in describing the subject concept. If a related subject name has a different meaning in authoritative sources, create a second record for the second subject concept. Use qualifiers if the names are homographs.

Warrant for Names

Iconography names should be found in authoritative published literature or affirmed by an authoritative source, such as a scholar on a specialized topic. For a source to be used for a name, the name must be used or described in the source in the same way as intended in the IA. Also see information about sources at 6.11 Name Source below.

When There Is No Source

If no source is available, names may be constructed, as described below.

Record a brief, concise word or phrase referring to the topic. Do not use a long descriptive phrase. If a source, such as Iconclass, uses a long phrase for the topic, for the IA name, isolate the core words or phrase that uniquely and concisely describe the subject topic.

Record proper names with initial capitals. For the names of events or narrative subjects, use title case for English names. Follow standard rules of capitalization for other languages.

Avoid abbreviations for the preferred name (e.g., Saint John the Apostle). Include common abbreviations in variant names to provide additional access points (e.g., St. John the Apostle).

Use diacritics as appropriate. Use Unicode.

Express the name in natural order, typically not in inverted order. Exceptions for preferred names may exist if the natural order form of the name would cause a descriptive word rather than a primary word to appear first in the string (e.g., Angels, Host of rather than Host of Angels).

Avoid initial articles (e.g., Argonaut Series rather than The Argonaut series).

Maintain consistent capitalization, punctuation, and syntax in IA names across the database where possible.

Record-preferred Name

For the record-preferred name, use a name or term in English (e.g., Adoration of the Magi rather than the Italian Adorazione dei Magi).

Languages

Terms in other languages will also be flagged, so that users may choose the language they prefer for displays. Note that, in some cases, the name most often used in English for a subject is in another language rather than English; if there is no English equivalent for a subject, use a name in the appropriate language (e.g., Ecce Homo).

Choosing Among Sources

To select a preferred name, consult the recommended sources.

The preferred name should be the name in English used most often to refer to the subject in authoritative scholarly works and standard general reference works on history, iconography, or other pertinent topics. If the name does not appear in authoritative or scholarly literature on the subject, choose the name used most often in the literature of art history or other professional literature in English (e.g., Hercules or Coronation of Napoleon I).

For names that are not found in authoritative sources, construct a preferred name (see below).

Express the preferred names in the form that would be best used to index the subject in alphabetical lists, as described in the section above.

Synonyms

Include all synonyms for the subject. All variant names should be synonyms, as established by authoritative warrant.

Published Variants

Include all variant names that appear in published sources and represent significant differences in form or spelling, variants that differ in diacritics and punctuation, name inversions, and other variations.

Multilingual

Include names in other languages. Flag the language so that it may be used for displays and in retrieval.

• Example:

  • The following list contains names that all refer to the same concept.
    Golden Fleece (en)
    Khrysómallon déras (el-transliterated)
    Goldenes Vlies (de)
    Vello d’oro (it)
    Vellocino de oro (es)
    Toison d’or (fr)

Historical Names

Most names in the IA will be Current names for the subject topic. However, if there are historical names for the iconography concept, provided it is indeed an exact synonym, it may be included and flagged Historical Flag = historical.

Check Established Authorities

For subjects within the scope of other established authorities, including Iconclass and the Library of Congress Authorities, add the names provided in those authorities.

Note the Source

In the Sources area of the IA record, note the source for the name and in the Page field, the unique identifier within that authority, or a URL.

If the name of the subject cannot be verified in authoritative sources, construct a name.

Use words from description in a source

Extract or recombine words and phrases describing the subject from authoritative sources.

Proper Names

Include proper names of people and places as appropriate.

Be Concise and Specific

Construct a name for the subject that is concise and specific. Avoid long phrases and sentence-like structure.

Meaning of the Subject in Context

Create a name that is relatively unique and unambiguous within the context of related subjects (e.g., Coronation of Louis XIV; not Coronation of the King).

Formatting the Name

For constructed subject names in English, capitalize the first word and all nouns, pronouns, verbs, adverbs, adjectives, and subordinate conjunctions; use lower case for articles, coordinate conjunctions, and prepositions, unless they are the first word of the title. For titles in other languages, follow capitalization rules of that language.

For the preferred name, avoid abbreviations. Follow other rules outlined in 6.1.5.3 Form and Syntax above.

Unique numeric identifier for the name in the Iconography Authority record.

• Example:
  5000014

System generated.

Not applicable.

Unique, persistent numeric identifiers allow the IA names to be linked and tracked over time.

Required-default: The number is system-generated and may not be edited.

An indication of the sort order for the names of the iconographic subject.

Numeric, 1 through n.

The cataloger should determine the logical sequence of names.

Most IA records have 1 to 8 names. It is recommended to avoid adding more than 15 names for a concept, if possible.

Required-default: For the name in position number 1, use the record-preferred name.

Number the names in sequence. Do not skip numbers. Arrange the names in a logical order. The name in sequence number 1 must be the overall record default Preferred name. After the Preferred name, list other names grouped by language or another logical order. If there are historical names, position them at the bottom of the sequence. Historical names would be names by which the subject was known in the past, but that are no longer used to reference the subject.

• Examples:

  • (1.) Guanyin
    (2.) Guan Yin
    (3.) Guānyīn
    (4.) Kuan-yan
    (5.) Kuan Yin

  • (1.) Battle of Little Bighorn
    (2.) Battle of Little Big Horn
    (3.) Battle of the Greasy Grass
    (4.) Custer’s Last Stand

An indication of whether the name is preferred or non-preferred for the iconography authority record.

Values are controlled by a list:

• preferred
• variant

Editors should determine which name is preferred, bases on common usage in authoritative sources.

Every IA record must have one preferred name to use as a default in displays. This is referred to as the record-preferred name. In addition, for each language there may be a preferred name, allowing users to choose a name other than the record-preferred name for displays.

Required-default: Record an appropriate value from the controlled list, indicating if this is the preferred name or a non-preferred variant name for the iconographic subject.

The name at sequence number 1 is automatically flagged preferred by the system. If this is not correct, change the Preferred Flag to variant and alter the sequence numbers accordingly.

The preferred subject name should be a brief name that is warranted by common usage in authoritative sources in English.

Flags designating the kind or type of name for this subject.

Controlled by an extensible list:

• Not applicable
• Undetermined
• Former name
• Original name
• Translated name
• Constructed name
• Abbreviation
• Full name
• Brief name
• Byname
• Mispelling
• Deprecated name
• Avoid use
• Pejorative name

The same authoritative sources that are appropriate for the rest of the record may be used.

Other flags are necessary for flagging certain characteristics of the subject name, as when it is a constructed name rather than a name having been found in a source.

Optional: As appropriate, include Other Flags.

Choose a flag as applicable, based on the criteria below.

Values in this field are not repeatable, even though the values are not mutually exclusive. Therefore, indexers must use a decision tree. In brief, if multiple values could apply, choose the value that is most important. If a term is determined to be Avoid use or Pejorative, either of these flags is more important than other possible flags. We hope that in a future data model, the flag will be repeatable.

• Not applicable: The default value for this flag is Not Applicable. Change it if any of the following criteria apply.

• Undetermined: For contributions where the Type is not included or otherwise unknown.

• Former name: For names of the subject that were formerly used, but are no longer in use.

• Original name: For the original name of the subject, which is now known by another name.

• Translated name: For the name of a subject that has been translated, relevant for subjects known primarily in an original language, particularly if the cataloger has translated the subject name or if otherwise the translation is not found in published sources.

• Constructed name: For the name of a subject that has been constructed by the cataloger, when the subject topic is not found by name in published sources to provide warrant.

• Abbreviated: For a very short version of the subject name, particularly where it comprises initials and abbreviations (e.g., WWII).

• Full name: For the full name of a subject, typically used when there is also an abbreviated or brief name.

• Brief name: For a concise name for the subject, shorter than a full name, often used for displays when the full name is a phrase or otherwise too long.

• Byname: For a pseudonym or nickname for the subject.

• Misspelling: For a published misspelling of the subject; do not use for historical spellings.

• Deprecated name: For a subject name that was formerly the preferred name, but is now no longer preferred.

• Avoid use: For subject names that should not be used in indexing materials, but that may be used for research and discovery because they are used in certain historical materials.

• Pejorative name: For subject names that are included for access, research, and discovery, but that are considered pejorative, derogatory, or offensive and thus should always be avoided in new indexing. Pejorative names are also Avoid use.

An indication of the type of name, to allow the authority to be compliant with standards for thesaurus construction, or to distinguish nouns from adjectival forms of names.

Values are controlled by a list:

• undetermined
• not applicable
• descriptor
• alternate descriptor
• used for term

The same authoritative sources that are appropriate for the rest of the record may be used.

Term type for IA names borrows the same types as used by the AAT, defined by thesaurus standards.

Each language may have one descriptor. Alternate descriptors are alternate syntactical expressions of the descriptor. Within one language, all other names are used for terms.

Required-default: If there is only one name for the subject in a language, this is the Descriptor for that language. If other names exist for that language, adjust term types as necessary.

Select an appropriate term type for each subject name based on the definitions below:

• undetermined: Do not use. Reserved for problematic data loads.

• not applicable: Do not use. Reserved for facets and data loads.

• descriptor: The descriptor should be the name in the order expected in alphabtetical lists. Typically this is the natural order form of the name, but occasionally it may be an inverted form.

  The descriptor is the name that will be used by default in displays for a given language. The preferred term for a language should be a Descriptor; every record should have a descriptor for each language.

• alternate descriptor: If the name is in the same language but has a different grammatical form or syntax than the descriptor, flag it as an Alternate Descriptor. In the IA, alternate descriptors are typically the natural order form of a name in the rare event that the descriptor is an inverted form.

• used for term: For all names within a given language thatare not descriptors or alternate descriptors, flag them as used for terms.

Word or phrase to provide clarification or disambiguation of the name.

• Examples:
  • Kuna deity
  • Greek character, daughter of Laomedon
  • Greek character, daughter of Oedipus
  • Norse legendary place
  • Maori narrative
  • dialogue, Lucian, 2nd century

Free text, in Unicode.

For the Qualifer word or phrase, look to precedent in the IA, particularly the precedent of other Qualifiers in the same section of the hierarchy. You should typically include the word that is the link to the AAT term as the “role” and the culture or other distinguishing characteristic of the IA concept. Consult the broader hierarchical parents for the target concept. For events, literature, or other subjects where date is critical, include the date. The same authoritative sources that are appropriate for the rest of the record may be used.

A word or phrase used to disambiguate and provide context for names/terms in the IA. The Qualifier is used with the name/term to identify the subject in results lists. It may also disambiguate homographs, but its primary purpose is to describe and identify.

Required: For all subjects, include a descriptive phrase to identify the subject name/term in results lists and other displays.

Homographs

If the name is a homograph for another name in the IA, add a qualifier that disambiguates the subjects.

• Examples:
  • Antigone (Greek character, daughter of Laomedon)
  • Antigone (Greek character, daughter of Oedipus)

Descriptive Phrases

For most names in the IA, add a short descriptive phrase based on the following guidelines.

Characters

For human or animal characters, use the religious, mythological, literary, or other context, also repeating the role/attribute that has been linked from the AAT Relationships.

• Examples:
  • Anubis (Egyptian deity)
  • Beatrice (Italian literary character, Dante, ca. 1293)

Legendary Places

Include geographical or cultural context, and brief description of the nature of the place.

• Example:
  Elysium (Greek legendary place)

Narratives and Events

Include a broader context and date, if applicable.

• Examples:
  • Battle of Muye (Chinese history, ca.1046 BCE)
  • Fall of the Rebel Angels (Old Testament iconography)

Literature

Include a repetition of the AAT role/attribute for the type of literary work, the author, and date of authorship.

• Example:
  • Jane Eyre (novel, Charlotte Brontë, 1842)
  • Decretum Gratiani (canon law, Gratian, 12th century)

Allegory and Symbolism

Include a brief generic description of the theme.

• Example:
  • Fortitude (allegorical figure)

Indicates the category into which the Iconography name would be placed relative to its normal function in a grammatical context.

Values are derived from a controlled list:

• Undetermined
• Noun
• Adjectival/Possessive
• Phrase
• Not Applicable

Optional: Part of Speech is optional, but recommended.

Choose part of speech flags based on the definitions outlined in the fields below.

An indication of the language of the name.

• Examples:
  • English
  • Italian
  • Chinese (transliterated Pinyin)

Values are controlled by an extensible list, mapped to the AAT language hierarchy. In the future, the language will be linked directly to the AAT.

The same authoritative sources that are appropriate for the rest of the record may be used.

The language of the subject name should be recorded, when known. The addition of terms in various languages improves retrieval of subject concepts; labeling the language allows for identification of terms for display by users preferring one language over another.

Optional: It is optional, but strongly recommended, to record the language of the name, if known from authoritative sources.

Indicate the appropriate language for every subject name, as far as your expertise, time, and editorial priorities allow.

Uncertainty

Label a language only if your source indicates what it is. Do not guess.

If you are uncertain regarding a specific language, use the broader designation. For example, if your source does not specify if the title is Ancient Latin, Medieval Latin, or Liturgical Latin, but you are positive that it is Latin, use the more general designation Latin.

Transliterated Names

For many languages in the language list, there are different designations for the transliterated language and the language expressed in its native alphabet , logography, syllabary, or other writing system. Choose the designation for transliteration when appropriate.

For example, if the title is in Chinese characters, but you are not sure of the type of script, use the more general 72550/Chinese designation. If you know that the script is traditional script rather than simplified, use the more specific 72551/Chinese (traditional). Likewise, if you are entering a transliterated Chinese title, but you do not know the transliteration method, use the language designation 72581/Chinese (transliterated). If you know that it is a Pinyin transliteration, use the more specific 72583/Chinese (transliterated Pinyin).

Translation projects

If you are working for an authorized translation project, guidelines regarding translations of subject terminology will be similar to those for translating AAT terms. See 12.4 Contributors.

An indication of whether this name is the preferred name for this subject in a given language.

Values are controlled by a list:

• preferred
• non-preferred

The same authoritative sources that are appropriate for the rest of the record may be used.

The term labeled preferred for a given language is intended for users who prefer to index with or display the subject terminology in a language other than English.

Required-default: Record an appropriate value from the controlled list indicating if the name is preferred or variant in a given language for this iconographic subject.

Choose as preferred the term for the subject concept that is used most often in authoritative sources in the language.

Do not flag a language preference unless one of the following is true: (a) you have literary warrant in an authoritative source or (b) you are an expert in the given language.

The default for this field is Undetermined. If you have enough information to know, change the flag to Preferred the most commonly used form of the term in a particular language; flag the other terms in that language as Non-preferred.

The preferred term for any language must have the Term Type descriptor.

There may be only one preferred term per language.

An indication of the source used as warrant for this name.

• Examples:
  • Iconclass 2100 Browser (2009-)
  • Library of Congress Authorities online (2002-)
  • Garnier, Thesaurus iconographique (1984)
  • Magill, Cyclopedia of Literary Characters (1990-1998)

Values are controlled by the Source authority.

The same authoritative sources that are appropriate for the rest of the record may be used.

This section discusses both which sources should be preferred for the IA name and other information, and how to format the references to the sources.

Required: Record the source(s) used for the name.

In order to use a given source for a name, the name should have been transcribed precisely, retaining the diacritics, capitalization, and punctuation of the source. There are a few exceptions, where the formatting of the source is specialized, and contradicts form and syntax rules of the IA.

Transcribe the name of the subject as found in an authoritative source. Prefer the most authoritative, up-to-date sources available, which may include the following, arranged according to preference:

• Standard general reference sources

  • major authoritative dictionaries and encyclopedia
  • US Library of Congress Subject Headings or library headings of other nations

• Other authoritative sources

  • other authoritative subject thesauri and controlled vocabularies (e.g., Iconclass)
  • textbooks on art history, history, or other relevant topics

• Other material on pertinent topics

  • books, journal articles, and newspaper articles
  • archives, historical documents, and other original sources

• Other sources:

  • repositories’ databases, Websites, or catalogs; names used as titles of works of artmay be sources
  • articles or databases on museum or university Web sites
  • community expertise, including tribal communities

Link to sources already created in the Sources authority file.

Create new source records as necessary. For detailed instructions for creating citations, see 12.3 Appendix C: Sources.

• Examples:

  • Brief title: Iconclass 2100 Browser (2009-)
    Full title: Iconclass 2100 Browser. The Hague: Rijksbureau voor Kunsthistorische Documentatie, 2009-. http://www.iconclass.org/rkd/9/ (24 August 2010).
    Source ID: 2000052084

  • Brief title: Library of Congress Authorities online (2002-)
    Full title: Library of Congress Authorities [online]. 2002-. http://authorities.loc.gov/ (12 August 2013).
    Source ID: 2000052652

An indication of whether this name was the preferred or entry-form name for this iconographic subject in the source.

Values are controlled by a list:

• preferred
• non-preferred

The same authoritative sources that are appropriate for the rest of the record may be used.

It is important to note if the term taken from the outside authority is a preferred term for that authority, or is instead a non-preferred see also reference.

Required-default: Record an appropriate value from the controlled list.

Flag as preferred the term that is the entry term or primary heading for the iconography concept in the source, which may be indicated differently in authorties, dictionaries, and encyclopedia, or glossaries.

Other terms from the same source should be flagged as non-preferred for the source.

Page number, volume, date accessed for Web sites, and any other information indicating where in the source the name was found.

• Examples:
  • 54
  • 23 ff.
  • 7:128

Free text. Use Unicode values or number.

The same authoritative sources that are appropriate for the rest of the record may be used.

It is important to note the page or other location in the source where the term was found. Users should be able to refer to the source and verify the page or other context where you found the term.

Optional: Optional but strongly recommended. Include the page number or other reference to where in the published work the term was found. If this is a unique identifier for the term in an authority, include it in the Code field as well.

For pages, do not state “page” or “p.” before the numbers. Use the following formats: e.g., 532, 45-53, 12 ff. List the entire number for both numbers in spans of pages (e.g., 691-693, NOT 691-3).

For full instructions, see 12.3 Appendix C: Sources.