I am an art historian, writer, lecturer and tutor. I graduated with first-class honours in Theological and Religious Studies from Cambridge University, where I have also guest lectured on the representation of Jews in the Italian Renaissance. I have contributed to catalogue texts focused on Jewish food culture (for the interdisciplinary exhibition Feast & Fast: The Art of Food in Europe, 1500-1800 at the Fitzwilliam Museum in Cambridge) and contemporary Jewish art. My ongoing research, conference papers and public talks engage with sensory studies to explore the interplay between Jewish material culture, patterns of consumption, identity, thought and practice in the early modern period. I am also currently looking at the Jewish Gothic and stories of fear, horror, and desire.
My particular area of interest is the painting, sculpture, and to a lesser extent, architecture of the Italian Renaissance, with a strong emphasis on image-making and artistic patronage (exploring less frequently examined topics such as female patronage). My books include Raphael and Renaissance Masterpieces of Art.
I have been a tutor and assessor with the Open College of the Arts since 2008, working with an interesting mix of students to help develop their confidence and ability in looking productively at artefacts and images in relation to context and narrative.
I am a member of the Association for Art History and am part of both the Haunted Shores and Cambridge Italian Research Networks. I also really enjoy leading informal art history study visits to museums and galleries in both the UK and Italy. Among my other professional responsibilities, I have served as an examiner in English and as a tutor in History and Religious Studies.
Personal website: www.rah-cam.com
