7. Descriptive Note

Additional information about the iconographic topic, including a discussion of its history, particularly noting any controversies or issues, presented in a form to be displayed to end users.

Free text. Use Unicode characters and numbers.

Authoritative sources that are appropriate for the rest of the record may be used.

The Descriptive Note should contain a single coherent statement covering some or all of the salient characteristics and historical significance of the subject. Topics covered in the note may include a discussion of the subject and its history and derivation. It includes brief scholarly discussions and clarification of other fields.

As a supplement to information recorded in controlled fields, free-text notes, such as the descriptive note, allow for the nuance and detail necessary to capture a precise description. This makes it possible to include very specific details that cannot be described in other elements.

Optional: Record a single coherent statement covering some or all of the salient characteristics and historical significance of the iconographic subject.

Brevity and Clarity

The descriptive note should be relatively brief and concise. It is intended to clarify issues and touch upon the major relevant points of the subject; it is not a comprehensive encyclopedia entry. Include a brief description of the salient facts, actions, and events having to do with the subject. Note how the iconographic subject is generally depicted in art, if pertinent, but avoid including the names of specific works of art or architecture. The length may vary from a few sentences to a paragraph of around 250 words.

Form and Syntax

Use natural word order.

You may use phrases or complete sentences, but always begin the note with capital letter and end it with a period. Use sentence case (not all capitals or title case). Capitalize proper names and avoid abbreviations.

Write the note in English. Names and other words in foreign languages may be used within the note when there is no commonly used English equivalent. Use diacritics as appropriate.

• Examples:

  • For the personification of Charity (personification of virtue).
    Descriptive Note: Personification, usually in the form of a human female, representing benevolent giving. In a theological sense, she can represent the theological virtue by which we love God above all things and our neighbor as ourselves. She may be portrayed nursing infants or prisoners.

  • For the American Revolution.
    Descriptive Note:_ Refers to an insurrection of 13 of Great Britain’s North American colonies, from 1775 to 1783, which resulted in political independence and the formation of the United States of America. Satirical images of the American grievances against Britain appeared in the years before war broke out. Depictions of themes and battles of the war itself first appear in the late 1770s, during the period when the war was still taking place. Romanticized depictions of the American victories and of theme of independence were popular through the 19th century, and often include George Washington and other major American protagonists.

  • Longer note is acceptable, but not necessary, for the _Adoration of the Magi (Life of Christ) and Quetzalcóatl (Feathered Serpent).
    Descriptive Note:_The Feathered Serpent is one of the major deities of the ancient Mexican pantheon. Representations of a feathered snake occur as early as the Teotihuacán civilization (3rd - 8th centuries CE) on the central plateau, where Quetzalcóatl seems to have been conceived as an earth (vegetation) and water deity associated with the rain god Tlaloc. When Nahua-speaking (Toltec) tribes from the north arrived in the area, Quetzalcóatl’s cult underwent significant changes, including an emphasis on blood sacrifice. The later Toltec culture (9th - 12th centuries), centered at the city of Tula, emphasized war and human sacrifice linked with the worship of heavenly bodies. In Aztec times (14th - 16th centuries) Quetzalcóatl was honored as the patron of priests, goldsmiths, craftsmen, and the calendar and books. He was also identified with the planet Venus, and was the god of the morning and evening star; thus he was the symbol of death and resurrection. In addition to being represented as a plumed serpent, Quetzalcóatl was often depicted as a man with a beard. He may be represented with his companion Xolotl, a dog-headed god. He may appear as Ehécatl, the wind god, when he is shown wearing a mask with two protruding tubes (through which the wind blew) and a conical hat typical of the Huastec tribe of northeastern Mexico. His representations may be associated with circular temples, which were believed to please Ehécatl because they offered no sharp obstacles to the wind.