Abstract
A number of word-based retrieval methods for pictorial databases have been proposed. The two indexing methods of H.C. Leung and S. Shatford are based on Panofsky's theory for image interpretation. There is another method based on AAT (Art and Architecture Thesaurus). Following these three methods, the authors developed and indexed a database comprising 117 Western works dating from the medieval to modern ages, using the database application ACCESS for Microsoft Windows. Using the database, retrieval experiment was conducted for the purpose of evaluating the three indexing methods. Overall, the index using AAT Thesaurus showed the best performance of the three, while the one following Leung's method was highly praised by operators.
