Hall's Dictionary of Subjects and Symbols in Art

Having recently studied symbolism in painting, I have to say this is the standard work on the subject. That said, I think a new perspective is needed. It is what you could call 'sound' but there must be fresh thoughts on the subject. The revised edition is 35 years old, and the introduction by Kenneth Clark, guru of my youth, suggests museum status. It is as it says a dictionary, and has no colour illustrations. There are more recent books on the subject, with good illustrations, but their subject content is relatively naive. Someone needs to up-date or supercede this book, which faut de mieux is the best we have.

Need to have infogood

Useful for helping to decode the images in art, when writing art history essays.

Excellent :)

Well written and comprehensive

full of interesting facts

This was recommended in an Art History class. I took it to the stately home where I volunteer; a visitor was so impressed, she took a photo of the cover to remind her to buy her own copy.

Useful assistant to Renaissance art studies; would recommend to anyone studying this subject who needed some guidance on the terminology.