Rebekah
- From: Durham, UK
- Studying: PhD in History of Art (full-time)
- Funding: Wolfson Postgraduate Scholarship in the Humanities
- Supervision: Dr Cordula van Wyhe
What are you working on?
"My research focuses on female middle age and menopause in the early modern era. I am investigating how this liminal and often ambiguous time of life directly impacted on (and was impacted by) the manner in which women engaged with cultural objects and spaces. By examining specific elite figures in the Spanish Low Countries I hope to establish how they controlled their material environments to effectively navigate menopause, infertility and establish identity beyond youth."
What has been the most fascinating part of your research so far, and why?
"I love joining the dots and finding connections between sources that have been overlooked for centuries. Within my research, popular prints for the masses and luxurious tapestries woven for royal courts have revealed surprisingly similar themes that feed into my understanding of the era."
What background do you come to your PhD from and what made you choose your research area?
"Having completed my MA dissertation examining how Catherine of Austria constructed her self-image in middle age I was keen to answer at least some of the questions that it raised. The further I looked into issues surrounding the female body and identity in the early modern era the more I wanted to fill in the gaps left by previous scholarship."
How has your experience at York broadened your horizons as an art historian?
"The support of the History of Art department and staff has encouraged me to think in more methodologically sophisticated ways and approach complex issues with confidence. Events, lectures and seminars put on by both the department and wider university have introduced me to new subjects that I would otherwise have never encountered. These new areas have both informed my own work and made me aware of larger fields of research."
