Gloria Moorman

Postdoctoral researcher

Università degli Studi di Padova

Gloria Moorman (1990) studied Italian (BA, 2012) and Book History (MA, 2014) at the University of Leiden, followed by a PhD in Renaissance Studies at the University of Warwick (2019). In her doctoral dissertation, she provides the first, full publication history – spanning from creation to ownership – of Joan Blaeu’s multi-volume Theatrum Italiae (Amsterdam, 1663-1682), thus unfolding the work’s significance to its audience, publishers, and the Italian patrons who lent essential creative and financial support in exchange for the favourable portrayal of their territories. 

Central to her research is the role of the early printed book as a vehicle through which stately and socio-cultural aspirations may be pursued by authors and owners alike. Gloria takes a special interest in the representation of cities in word and image. Her work has been supported by fellowships at, amongst others, the Scaliger Institute (Special Collections, Leiden University Library) and the Nederlands Kunsthistorisch Instituut (NIKI) in Florence.