Hodegetria
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A Hodegetria, or Virgin Hodegetria, is an iconographic depiction of the Theotokos holding the Child Jesus at her side while pointing to him as the source of salvation for humankind. The Virgin's head usually inclines towards the child, who raises his hand in a blessing gesture. Metals are often used to draw attention to young Christ, reflecting light and shining in a way to embody divinity. In the Western Church this type of icon is sometimes called Our Lady of the Way.
Version of the Theotokos of Smolensk by Dionisius (c. 1500)
12th-century plaque found in Torcello Cathedral; a full-length figure like the original in Constantinople
Italo-Byzantine Hodegetria by Berlinghiero of Lucca, (c. 1230) shows the Byzantine influence on Italian 13th-century art
The shrine of the Hodegetria in Smolensk, as photographed by Prokudin-Gorsky in 1912.
Iconography
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Iconography, as a branch of art history, studies the identification, description and interpretation of the content of images: the subjects depicted, the particular compositions and details used to do so, and other elements that are distinct from artistic style. The word iconography comes from the Greek εἰκών ("image") and γράφειν.
Holbein's The Ambassadors (1533) is a complex work whose iconography remains the subject of debate.
A painting with complex iconography: Hans Memling's so-called Seven Joys of the Virgin – in fact this is a later title for a Life of the Virgin cycle on a single panel. Altogether 25 scenes, not all involving the Virgin, are depicted. 1480, Alte Pinakothek, Munich.
A 17th century Central Tibetan thanka of Guhyasamaja Akshobhyavajra.
The Theotokos of Tikhvin of c. 1300, an example of the Hodegetria type of Madonna and Child.