The term iconography is derived from two Greek words: Icon which means image, and Grapho which means writing or description. Iconography is the study of the identity and meaning of figures, objects and scenes in works of art that are based on an image or written tradition. Iconography is an important tool used to identify the subject of a work of art and sometimes determine its content. Iconography is based on written sources, as well as image traditions and conventions, that were historically associated with specific subjects or themes found in paintings and sculpture.

The title of Watteau's painting, "Return to Cythera," clues us to its subject. Cythera is the mythical island of love, so the people there must be returning from a voyage to that island. But an iconographical analysis reveals a content that is subtle, and even controversial. An iconographical analysis starts with what we see in the painting. First, and most obviously, the painting is full of elegantly dressed men and women. They seem to be acting out some sort of amorous progression. The man on the far right is whispering into a woman's ear.