Filmed as part of the Fall 2020 Digital Research Seminars presented by scholars affiliated with the O’Donnell Institute’s Center for the Art and Architectural History of Port Cities in Naples.
21 September 2020
Research updates from 2019-2020 Predoctoral Research Residents
DIANA MELLON
PhD Candidate, Columbia University – 2019-2020 Predoctoral Research Resident at La Capraia
Health, Bathing, and Site-Specificity in the Illuminated De balneis Puteolanis
Diana Mellon’s dissertation is focused on the use and knowledge of the volcanic baths in the Campi Flegrei, near Naples, in the medieval and Renaissance periods. The principal source of this research is the early thirteenth-century poem De balneis Puteolanis and its illuminations. This project considers bathing imagery from an art historical perspective informed by medical and environmental history, paying special attention to the particularities of place created by a volcanic landscape and ancient architectural ruins.
CLAIRE JENSEN
PhD Candidate, University of Toronto – 2019-2020 Predoctoral Research Resident at La Capraia
Annunziata Art: Trecento Frescoes in Sant’Agata de’ Goti
Claire Jensen’s dissertation analyzes frescoes from a hospital church dedicated to Annunciation in the town of Sant’Agata de’ Goti. Contrary to legends about the decay of the Angevin dynasty, “Annunziata art” demonstrates that the lay culture of trecento Campania was vibrant and productive, evidenced in these works by themes of civic pride, urban politics, and popular piety.
LISA MALBERG
PhD Candidate, Ruhr University Bochum – 2019-2020 Predoctoral Research Resident at La Capraia
Theatine Churches in Naples: Sacred Space and Urban Context in Sixteenth- and Seventeenth-Century Naples
Lisa Malberg’s doctoral thesis explores the earliest architectural manifestations of the Theatine order in Naples and Rome. In particular, her project analyzes spatial distribution and architectural and liturgical typology in Theatine church architecture, as well as in their use and alignment with specific social environments.
NATHAN REEVES
PhD Candidate, Northwestern University – 2019-2020 Predoctoral Research Resident at La Capraia
Urban Space, Plebe Musicians, and Buon Governo in Spanish Naples, 1537-1632
Nathan Reeves’ dissertation examines the effects of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century Spanish urban reforms on musical life among the Neapolitan plebe. Working with archival documents and musical media of the period, the aim of the project is to understand how plebe musicians navigated this precarious environment and garnered attention from multiple levels of Neapolitan society.