ABSTRACT

The Infonet project aimed to produce printed versions of the Iconclass schedules, bibliography, and the alphabetic index. The keywords, originally handpicked for the alphabetic index, are shown in italics. As the Decimal Index of the Art of the Low Countries (DIAL) was first of all a collection of photocards, ordered by subject – that is, Iconclass notation – the identification of multiple subjects in the same picture necessitated multiple prints. The Infonet brief, the DIAL, and the general introduction to the first Iconclass volume described an elaborate system of cross-references that Henri Van de Waal hoped would be “in itself a tool for iconographic research. The Iconclass system in its unabridged form can be of great use for such a task”. When Van de Waal wrote this, in 1968, using Iconclass in a computerized format was not yet a realistic option, and working with a limitless number of digital reproductions of works of art was not even a fantasy.