CIDOC Guidelines for Museum Object Information: Subject Depicted Information Group

This page is part of the International Guidelines for Museum Object Information: The CIDOC Information Categories: a description of the Information Categories that can be used when developing records about the objects in museum collections. For an outline of the Information Groups and Categories in the Guidelines, turn to the introductory list.

Subject Depicted Information Group

Purpose:

Subject depicted information primarily supports Access. Without this information it is not possible to provide even rudimentary access to pictorial collections beyond that required for accountability purposes. Subject information also supports the identification of objects.

Information categories:

Subject depicted
Subject depicted description

Examples:

Subject depicted: seascape
Subject depicted: sailing boats
Subject depicted description: beach and sea near a town with sailing boats on a rough sea

Notes:

• When documenting recorded works including film or music, use this Information Group to record a transcription or thematic description of the music or music performances.
• When describing books or other written works, use this Information Group to record a description and interpretation of texts where applicable.
• This Information Group may include information about people, places, events, or objects depicted.
• This Information Group can be repeated as many times as required.
• Subject information is not recorded for natural science collections.

Subject depicted

Alternate names:

Iconograph
Depiction
Content

Definition:

A term describing the abstract or figural composition of an object or of the decoration on an object, or the interpretation of the composition.

Examples:

flowers
Queen Elizabeth I
war

Notes:

• It is recommended that controlled terms are used for this Information Category. Refer to the "Content and terminology control" section in the Introduction for further guidance on sources of controlled terminology.
• This Information Group may include information about people, places, events or objects depicted.

Move to beginning of Subject depicted

Subject depicted description

Alternate names:

Iconography
Subject
Content

Definition:

A textual description of the abstract or figural composition of an object or of the decoration on an object, and the interpretation of the composition.

Examples:

A woman picking potatoes in a large field with a background of a small village.

Move to beginning of Subject depicted

Move to outline of the Information Groups and Categoriesor the next page, the Contributions to the Development Process

file: guidesub.htm; author: CIDOC; updated June 1995