Faculty

Cecily Hilsdale (Ph.D. 2003, University of Chicago) specializes in Medieval art history with an emphasis on Byzantine art. Her ongoing research concerns cultural exchange in the medieval Mediterranean, in particular the circulation of Byzantine luxury objects as diplomatic gifts as well as the dissemination of eastern styles, techniques, and iconographies. Other academic interests include the intersection of art and ritual, gender and patronage, image theory, Neoplatonism, as well as the art and architecture of medieval Spain. Professor Hilsdale’s research has received support from the Alice Kaplan Institute for the Humanities, the National Endowment for the Humanities, Dumbarton Oaks Center for Byzantine Studies, the J. William Fulbright Scholarship Program, and the Edward L. Ryerson Fellowship in Archeology. Her work has appeared in the Art Bulletin, Art History, and Medieval Encounters: Jewish, Christian, and Muslim Culture in Confluence and Dialog. Professor Hilsdale also participates in the graduate interdisciplinary Cluster on Medieval Studies and the Classical Traditions Initiative, and she is an affiliate of the undergraduate Asian and Middle Eastern Studies Programs.

Professor Hilsdale offers undergraduate courses on various aspects of ancient and medieval art and architecture. Recent graduate seminars include “Istanbul Imagined” (co-taught on site with Hannah Feldman), “Medieval Encounters with Islam,” and “The Medieval Gift: Anthropological Theory and Art Historical Practice.”

cjhilsda@northwestern.edu