iconophilist means an expert or enthusiast of iconography. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
Why “iconophilist” is a great word
An expert or enthusiast of iconography, the scholarly discipline dedicated to the history, meaning, and interpretation of visual images and symbols. Formed within English by compounding the combining forms icono- (from Greek eikōn, meaning "image" or "likeness") and -philist (from Greek -philos, meaning "loving" or "fond of"). Unlike an iconographer—a practitioner or cataloguer, often of religious icons—or an art collector—who acquires objects—the iconophilist is driven by a deeper, more analytical passion for the image itself. It is the rapt scrutiny of a Byzantine mosaic’s tessera, the tracing of a mythic motif from an Attic vase to a Renaissance fresco, and the patient deciphering of a political cartoon’s every loaded gesture—a devotion to the silent language by which cultures speak across time.
Etymology
From icono- + -philist.
noun
- An expert or enthusiast of iconography.