Support our student scholarships and bursaries
The Warburg Institute is committed to attracting students from across the world, to study and learn at all levels, regardless of background or circumstance. Student scholarships and bursaries make it possible for students, who might not be able to otherwise, to attend the Institute. We strive to be a haven for people and collections who are displaced, offering a refuge as well as a cultural memory bank in line with the original mission of the Institute.
Thanks to a number of generous donations we are able to offer scholarships and bursaries to students studying at the Warburg Institute, which not only provide financial support, but as last year’s Peltz Scholar who is studying on the MA in Art History, Curatorship and Renaissance Culture course noted, "it places confidence in the student to continue with their education. Without the generosity of foundations or donors, some educational opportunities for many, as they were for me, are very difficult to obtain".
If you are interested in helping to aid student scholarships and bursaries please get in touch with us at warburg@sas.ac.uk.
Current students to have received scholarships
American Friends Scholarships
Hannah Halpern | MA Cultural, Intellectual & Visual History 2023-24
Hannah Halpern graduated cum laude from the University of Chicago in 2023, with a BA in Classical Studies and a minor in Renaissance Studies. She works primarily in intellectual history, and is inclined toward religious questions that highlight expressions of personal faith in tension with their cultural and religious milieux. Her honours thesis, ‘De consolatione Augustīnī: Augustinian Authority in Petrarch’s “Secret Book,”’ investigated Petrarch’s adoption and reformulation of St. Augustine’s thought and person within the Secretum, and his simultaneous rejection of Augustine’s solution to the problem of despair in an age post-dating Christ’s physical presence. Other interests include theological conceptions of the erotic in relation to tragedy, and a burgeoning curiosity for Byzantium and encounters between Orthodox and Catholic factions in Venice.
Hannah looks forward to introducing aspects of art history and anthropology into her literary work, with the breadth afforded by the Warburg’s interdisciplinary approach to the study of the Renaissance. She is also excited to embark upon palaeographical training to bolster her manuscript studies. She is especially eager to peruse the Warburg’s eclectic library collection in search of materials for prospective projects. Hannah is immensely grateful to the AFWI for their generous support in her graduate studies.
Ian Karp | MA Cultural, Intellectual & Visual History 2023-24
Ian Karp received his BA in Art History and Classics from the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. His dissertation examined how the restoration of Classical sculpture in baroque Rome departed from the precepts outlined in contemporary technical treatises, while analysing the intertextuality of those early modern texts with myriad Classical authors. He recently expanded upon ideas put forth in that paper in a project about how the afterlife of ancient artist anecdote was formative in defining the sociological role of the painter in late 16th and early 17th century Spain.
While still an undergraduate Ian joined the Minneapolis Institute of Art as the John E. Andrus III Curatorial Fellow, initially in the Department of Prints & Drawings and later in the Department of European Art. During this nearly four-year fellowship Ian contributed to exhibitions and publications encompassing rare books, prints, paintings and antiquities, most recently the exhibition and catalogue “Botticelli and Renaissance Florence: Masterworks from the Uffizi.” He also researched the permanent collection and made several discoveries regarding the provenance of certain antiquities.
The Warburg Institute is the ideal setting for Ian to explore his interests in the durability of ancient forms and the intellectual and visual cultures of pre and early modern Europe. He is particularly excited to cull the collection for words and images on antiquarianism and ruins to develop ideas about the preservation and resurrection of the past in painting, print and the built environment. His time at the Warburg will be a formative step in preparation for future doctoral research in art history.
Peltz-Roden Scholarships
Henry Adeson | MA in Cultural, Intellectual & Visual History, 2023-24
to follow
Francesco Alessandrini Lupia | MA in Art History, Curatorship and Renaissance Culture, 2023-24
Francesco Alessandrini Lupia earned his Master of Arts (Honours) degree in Art History at the University of St Andrews in 2023. During his studies, he developed a particular interest in early modern art, with a focus on the Italian Baroque and Rococo. In his undergraduate dissertation “A Venetian at Home and Abroad: Giovanni Battista Tiepolo between the Venetian Republic and Würzburg”, he analysed how Tiepolo, a major exponent of the Venetian Rococo style, dealt with an entirely new socio-political and artistic context when he painted his frescoes in the prince-bishop’s palace in Würzburg.
At the Warburg Institute, Francesco seeks to further develop his interests and knowledge within the field of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Italian art and to identify a research project for a PhD. He is convinced that the Warburg Institute’s interdisciplinary approach will broaden his horizons, allowing him to learn from scholars and fellow students with different backgrounds and to gain profound understanding of early modern Italian cultural life. Moreover, the MA will equip him with essential skills necessary for undertaking high-level research, due to its focus on primary materials and its palaeography classes.
In the past years, Francesco has completed several internships at museums including the Staatliche Graphische Sammlung in Munich, the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice, and the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. These experiences sparked his desire to work as a museum curator in the future. Thereby, Francesco aims to contribute to the preservation and study of our artistic heritage, as well as sharing his passion with the public. Hence, he is grateful that the MA at the Warburg Institute allows him not only to pursue his academic interests, but also to gain further first-hand experience with professionals working at an institution as prestigious as the National Gallery in London.
Francesco feels very honoured to have been selected for the Peltz-Roden scholarship and is very thankful for the financial support provided by this award. He is eager to take on this journey and make full use of this unique opportunity as a stepping stone for further studies and a professional career in the field of Art History.
Isabella Boileau | MA in Cultural, Intellectual & Visual History, 2023-24
Isabella Boileau graduated from St John’s College, Oxford in 2023 with a First Class degree in History. During her BA she took a particular interest in interdisciplinary approaches to early modern Europe, choosing courses which stressed the interactions between the period’s political, visual, and literary cultures. She studied medieval Latin biographies in her first year, wrote her thesis on representations of the deathbed in post-Reformation English ballads, sermons, and ars moriendi literature, and completed another extended piece of coursework on the reasons for family and confraternity investment in art in Renaissance Italy, comparing works commissioned for the Dominican churches of Santa Maria Novella in Florence and Santi Giovanni e Paolo in Venice.
The Warburg Institute’s particular focus on language and on cultural history is thus well suited to Isabella’s interests. She hopes to use her time there to expand her language skills and to research further the workings of religious and ideological change during the early modern period, particularly by looking at the transmission and reception of forms of religious propaganda such as woodcuts and ballads. She is very grateful for the generous Peltz-Roden scholarship, which will allow her to take full advantage of the many opportunities offered by the course.
Danielle Jump | MA in Art History, Curatorship and Renaissance Culture, 2023-24
Danielle Jump graduated from St. John’s College, Cambridge, in 2023, with a First-Class degree in History of Art. During her time as an undergraduate, Danielle studied a range of art historical topics, including Islamic art history (1400 – 2019), to issues of gender in modernism, as well as the role of digital humanities in the urban realm of Renaissance Florence. Her BA studies also equipped her to investigate the political dimensions of art display—a subject she plans to carry forward at the Warburg Institute, particularly in the curatorial modules in collaboration with the National Gallery. Her third-year dissertation delved into the role of art as gifts between England and the Mughal Empire, tracing the intricate web of global interactions in the early modern era. This project offered Danielle the first chance to engage with seventeenth-century texts, and handle manuscripts within a museum environment.
Danielle applied to the Warburg Institute to deepen her understanding of how art can act as a pivotal visual marker in the interplay of ideas, images, and society, and hopes to explore how these perceptions change as a work moves across time and place. Likewise, Danielle intends to continue her academic journey in London by delving into the significance of narrative embedded within early Renaissance paintings, with a particular interest held in the marvellously detailed works of Jan Gossaert and Carlo Crivelli. She aims to explore how these works challenge the traditional distinctions between Italianate and Early Netherlandish Renaissance styles, embodying cross-cultural qualities in both their imagery and painterly techniques. This aligns with her interests in how early modern artists incorporated and drew inspiration from different mediums, including textiles and prints within their artistic practice, facilitating the exchange of knowledge among artists on a global scale.
Upon receiving the news of being awarded the scholarship, Danielle felt an overwhelming sense of financial relief and looks forward to commencing her studies with even greater anticipation. The prospect of being able to afford the MA fees brought her a sense of gratification and great excitement. This financial support meant she could pursue her academic career and explore ideas surrounding Renaissance history and culture in a space with an unparalleled scholarly history.
Anne Moorhouse | MA in Art History, Curatorship and Renaissance Culture, 2023-24
Anne Moorhouse graduated from the University of St Andrews in June 2023 with a Master of Arts (Honours) First Class degree in Art History. At St Andrews, Anne took a number of modules in Early Modern art, including Rembrandt and Rubens; Images and Knowledge in the Early Modern World; the life and works of Raphael; and Classical Reception. As an Honours student Anne refined her particular area of art historical interest, namely the Early Modern period. The Warburg Institute programme’s focus on Renaissance culture and its reception was therefore particularly relevant, and offered an ideal route to deepen her understanding and interest in this area of art historical research.
For her undergraduate dissertation, Anne explored the topic ‘Laughing Matter: Disguised Humour and the Visual Joke in Seventeenth-Century European Art’. She sought to illuminate how jokes took on a critical visual guise during the seventeenth-century and how, specifically, through disguised humour – an area neglected in the scholarship – artists did not simply seek to generate laugher, but aimed to provoke a particular response, instigating the viewer’s self and social awareness. Researching this period of Baroque history broadened her understanding of the transnational and intercultural trends that shaped the production of artworks at this time. Anne looks forward to extending her knowledge of this area by engaging in the programme at the Warburg Institute.
The idea of ‘reception’ and the politics of display – how objects are presented and preserved – is a core area of Anne’s research interests. At St Andrews, she assessed how object ‘access’ and context – the way something is presented ‘as art’ – moulds our perception of them. The Warburg Institute’s postgraduate programme, which has a particular focus on curatorship, is therefore an invaluable opportunity for Anne to progress in her understanding of this field. The Warburg Institute’s partnership with the National Gallery offers a wealth of resources that will enable Anne’s ambition to build her academic career and extend her art historical knowledge. She is enormously grateful for the offer of a Peltz-Roden scholarship, which facilitates her attendance on the course at the Warburg Institute.
Ludovica Staderini | MA in Art History, Curatorship and Renaissance Culture, 2023-24
Ludovica Staderini, after completing her undergraduate in Art History at Ca’ Foscari University of Venice, aims to specialise in Renaissance art and expand her research methodology. During her studies, Ludovica was fortunate enough to work as an intern at the Venice Biennale, the Carlos Museum of Atlanta, and the Peggy Guggenheim Collection.
Throughout these experiences, she expanded her knowledge in curation and conservation. To study curatorship under the guidance of the National Gallery combined with the cutting-edge research centre that is the Warburg Institute constitutes a unique opportunity that the Peltz-Roden scholarship made possible.
The dynamic and interdisciplinary approach that the Warburg Institute advocates aligns with her research interest in how the intellectual progress of the early modern period is represented through different artistic and literary media. Her dissertation, ‘Benvenuto Cellini: Goldsmith, Sculptor, and Poet at the Forefront of Artistic Academic Disputes’ addressed such issue by exploring Cellini’s artistic theories through documents of various nature.
She hopes that the rich resources and expertise offered by the Warburg Institute will allow her to identify which research interest she would like to develop into a Ph.D. proposal.
The Peltz-Roden scholarship enables Ludovica to pursue the next stage of her academic path and follow her ambitions.
Nina Voytala-Zawisza | MA in Cultural, Intellectual & Visual History, 2023-24
to follow
JB Trapp Scholarships
Sarah Rohde | PhD
Sarah graduated with honours from the "Civilization, Culture, and Society" master’s program at the University of Nice Côte d'Azur (France). Her master's dissertation focused on the visual representation of ancient Rome in the video game franchise Assassin's Creed (Ubisoft, 2007-). She found that players were more interested in authenticity than accuracy, even though the significant historical research invested in these games is one of their key selling points. Her work received praise, and she was encouraged to expand her research.
After a year of teaching, during which she had the opportunity to discuss how Antiquity is perceived with her students, Sarah decided to pursue her Ph.D. at the Warburg Institute. It is the ideal place for her to delve into the enduring legacy of Antiquity within one of today’s most prominent media forms. She plans to expand her research to Mediterranean Antiquity and to popular video games from around the world. Her objective is to compare the various portrayals of history in popular culture and investigate whether the transmission of Antiquity across different cultures results in distinct forms of representation.
Rubinstein Scholarships
Gavanndra Hodge | PhD
Gavanndra Hodge is a journalist and author who has worked in newspapers and magazines and published a memoir, The Consequences of Love. She completed her BA in Classics at Cambridge in 1997 and returned to academia in 2019 with the Cultural, Intellectual and Visual History MA at the Warburg Institute.
The subject of Gavanndra’s PhD is the poet, mythographer, lawyer and academic Abraham Fraunce (1558-93). Fraunce was successful in his day but has been largely forgotten and has therefore received limited scholarly attention.
Gavanndra will focus on two texts, the Insignium Armorum, Emblematum, Hieroglyphicorum at symbolorum quae ab Italis imprese nominantur, explicatio (1588) and The Countesse of Pembrokes Yuychurch (1591). The Insignium - which Gavanndra will translate for the first time - is a handbook of classical symbols and overview of their use by notable individuals, English and European, in their personal emblems, published in the year of the Armada victory. The Countesse of Pembrokes Yuychurch is an English reimagining of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, relocated to a riverbank in Wiltshire, created in response to the death of Fraunce’s patron, Phillip Sidney.
Supported by the Rubinstein scholarship, Gavanndra will examine how Fraunce contributed to a key moment in the creation of a swaggering, outward-facing English identity, blending classical and humanist learning with a native sensibility. She will also aim to show how Fraunce's attempt to reinvent English poetry through the integration of stringent classical forms with vernacular vivacity created a fertile ground for future poets, even if his own attempts were abandoned along the way.