Doctoral Candidate Rachel Carlisle Participates in International Workshop on Medieval Epigraphy in Spain

PhD candidate Rachel Carlisle was among the 15 advanced graduate students and early career researchers who gathered in Roda de Isábena, Spain in September for a four-day workshop dedicated to the study of medieval epigraphy. Organized by Vincent Debiais, the International Workshop on Medieval Epigraphy brought together experts in the field and young scholars hailing from Spain, Norway, France, England, Germany, Croatia, and Italy, with Rachel representing the United States.

Set in the picturesque landscape of Aragon, the workshop consisted of presentations by each participant, lectures in nearby Graus and Barbastro, examination of medieval inscriptions in the cloister de Roda de Isábena, and a hands-on stone carving lesson. Rachel presented a portion of her dissertation research (under the direction of Dr. Stephanie Leitch) to the group in a paper titled “Illusion and Authenticity in Late Medieval and Renaissance Representations of Epigraphic Texts.” With a starting point of the Romanae vetustatis fragmenta (Augsburg: Ratdolt, 1505), she contextualized the printed book through art historical analysis of representations of epigraphic texts in manuscripts, paintings, and prints dating from the fifteenth and early-sixteenth centuries.