A method of interpreting the meaning of a work of art by synthesising iconography with the full historical context. Iconology is a broader approach than iconography to analysis of meaning in the visual arts, taking account of the tradition of pictorial motifs and their historical, cultural, or social meaning. In a more narrow sense, refers to the study of icons and their specific subjects

Source: Art & Architecture Thesaurus

http://vocab.getty.edu/page/aat/300054235