Art & Inequality
in the Shadow of the Black Death
Collecting and cataloguing art commissions made by members of different social strata – from paupers to the elite – in Europe from 1225 to 1525, to explore two interrelated fields, economic inequality and cultural history.
Findings
Homicide with List: A Murder, an Inventory, and this Year Opening Steps for Art & Inequality
This New Year’s post begins with a homicide. Murder of Abel, detail, British Library, Royal 19 D II, f. 10v In March 1389, early in the morning, the notary Giovanni Gini and the second-hand dealer (rigattiere) Romolo Bartolini were sent by…
A Privileged Peep Hole into the Past: Why large numbers of testaments are needed and how exceptions to rules can be relevant
I have just returned from a short stint in the Archivio di Stato di Firenze (ASF), 18 September to 2 October. It may be my last archival collecting of testaments for the project, at least in the ASF. The purpose…
Globetrotter Baker: an Expat Life on Paint and Thread
Expats have loosen roots and look for peers to reconstruct a sense of community and navigate everyday life together. Here is Augustinus’ story… from 1450s. Lovanium, 16th century map (Civitates Orbis Terrarum. Liber Tertius. Köln, Bertram Buchholtz, 1599) Augustinus de Lovana was…
Events
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Quaderni di Storia Religiosa Medievale (QSRM) seminar, University of Bologna
➛: Quaderni di Storia Religiosa Medievale (QSRM) seminar, University of BolognaValentina Costantini, presentation of our research project on testaments’ management and inventories from the Florentine hospital of Santa Maria Nuova (14th c.) Beyond the Will: The Execution of Pious Dispositions in the Late Middle Ages:…
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7th biennial conference of the European Rural History Organisation
➛: 7th biennial conference of the European Rural History OrganisationValentina Costantini & Davide Cristoferi, panel: Pigs in the late Medieval and Early Modern Mediterranean Europe: breeding, production and consumption (11th-16th centuries)7th biennial conference of the European Rural History Organisation (EURHO)Coimbra, Portugal10 September 2025
Team
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Samuel K. Cohn, Project Lead
Read more: Samuel K. Cohn, Project LeadDr Samuel K. Cohn holds a PhD in Medieval History from Harvard University (1978) under the supervision of David Herlihy and has taught at Wesleyan…
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Valentina Costantini, Research Associate
Read more: Valentina Costantini, Research AssociateDr Valentina Costantini holds a PhD in Medieval History from the University of Siena (2013). She has carried out research and teaching activities at the…
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Louisa McKenzie, Research Associate
Read more: Louisa McKenzie, Research AssociateDr Louisa McKenzie holds a PhD in History of Art from the Warburg Institute, University of London (2023). Her work centres on the devotional art…
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Neil McClelland, PhD Candidate
Read more: Neil McClelland, PhD CandidateNeil McClelland holds a first-class MA joint honours degree in History and Italian, and a Master of Research (MRes) degree, both from the University of…
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Adam Linson, Senior Researcher
Read more: Adam Linson, Senior ResearcherDr Adam Linson is a Lecturer (Asst. Prof.) in Computing & Communications at the Open University (UK) with an Arts and Humanities background. He is…
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Aina Palarea, Research Associate (2024-2025)
Read more: Aina Palarea, Research Associate (2024-2025)Dr Aina Palarea holds a PhD in Medieval History from the European University Institute (2023) and two MRes from the same Institute and the University…
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Serena Galasso, Research Associate (2022-2023)
Read more: Serena Galasso, Research Associate (2022-2023)Dr Serena Galasso is a medieval historian specialised in social, economic and gender history. Trained in Italy and France, she studied women’s practical writings in late medieval…
Contact
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