NICOLA J. CRONIN BARHAM
CONTACT
INFORMATION
CURRICULUM VITAE
Phone: US +1 (617) 858-6856
Dr Nicola Barham
Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow
Center for Arts and Humanities
American University of Beirut
Bliss St—Hamra
Riadh El Solh, Beirut 1107 2020
Lebanon
UK +44 777 999 2026
Lebanon: +961 71 26 90 16
Email: [email protected]
EDUCATION
PhD in Art History
August 2015
University of Chicago
Roman Art
Dissertation
Ornament and Art Theory in Ancient Rome: an Alternative Classical Paradigm for the Visual Arts.
This dissertation identifies an overlooked classical conceptual model, used to define works of visual
culture in the ancient Roman world. It contends that there existed a Roman conceptual paradigm that
stood in tension with the Greek notion of the ‘great artist’, and celebrated works instead for their
external impact upon their environment, as well as for the patron who facilitated this. It framed
visual works as ‘ornaments’. My research identifies this ancient aesthetic concept through a survey
of the use of the Latin term ornamentum and its cognates, and the Greek kosmos, in surviving
literature, papyri, and epigraphic texts. It demonstrates the impact of this ancient conceptual value
upon the commissioning, production, and viewing of Roman visual works, across a wide variety of
social contexts.
Advisors
Dr Jaś Elsner, Dr Verity Platt, Dr Patrick Crowley
MA in Art History
University of Chicago
Ancient Greek and Roman Art
Vestigia delle Terme di Tito: Aesthetic Translation and Nero’s Domus
Aurea
June 2004
BA (hons) in Literae Humaniores (Classics) 2:1
Honour Moderations 1st class
Christ Church, University of Oxford
CURRENT
POSITION
December 2009
Andrew W. Mellon Postdoctoral Fellow
Center for the Arts and Humanities
American University of Beirut
Preparing the manuscript of my first book. Teaching courses in
ancient art and architecture. Organising an international
workshop on the visual strategies and social impact of the
neglected Roman sarcophagi of Lebanon, with papers to appear
as an edited volume. Co-organising an interdisciplinary
conference on Discourses of Value in the humanities.
September 2016–
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PREVIOUS
POSITION
Research Associate
The Art Institute of Chicago
The Department of Ancient and Byzantine Art.
Writing entries and glossary for the Museum’s Roman catalogue.
Editing text. Writing papers for publication. Archival research.
Writing gallery labels. Teaching undergraduates in a gallery
setting. Serving on the selection committee for undergraduate
curatorial fellowship. Museum acquisitions and lender relations.
September 2015–July 2016
PREVIOUS
AWARDS AND
FELLOWSHIPS
Andrew W. Mellon Chicago Object Study Initiative Research
Fellow
The Art Institute of Chicago
For research on collections for publication, and for dissertation
writing.
September 2014–June 2015
Nominated Finalist for the Archaeological Institute of
America Conferences Award for the Best Graduate Student
Paper
The Archaeological Institute of America.
January 2015
CASVA Chester Dale Fellowship
Center for the Advanced Study of the Visual Arts, The National
Gallery of Art
For dissertation research and writing.
September 2013–August 2014
July 2013
Doolittle Harrison Fellowship
The University of Chicago
For international conference travel.
January–June 2013
Edward L. Ryerson Fellowship in Archaeology
University of Chicago
For long-term research on Roman funerary art and domestic
assemblages.
September–December 2012
Nicholson Center for British Studies Graduate Fellowship
University of Chicago
For research on Roman jewellery and silverware.
2007–2012
Century Fellowship
University of Chicago
Full funding for the first five years of graduate study.
Nicholson Center for British Studies Graduate Fellowship
University of Chicago
For research on a collection of recently excavated RomanoBritish brooches in the Institute of Archaeology at the University
of Oxford.
Edward L. Ryerson Fellowship in Archaeology (Short Term
Research)
University of Chicago
For short-term research on Roman art in Portugal.
January–March 2011
2010
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2009
Edward L. Ryerson Fellowship in Archaeology (Short Term
Research)
University of Chicago
For short-term research on Roman art in Spain and France.
Academic Scholarship
Christ Church, University of Oxford.
PUBLICATIONS
2002–2004
Books and Edited Volumes
Nicola J. Cronin Barham, Ornament and Empire: Roman Values for the Visual Arts, (In progress).
Nicola J. Cronin Barham, ed. Symbols, Statements and Stories: the Visual Stratagems of the
Neglected Roman Sarcophagi of Beirut, Tyre, and Sidon (In progress. With papers invited from
scholars in the US, the UK, Germany, and Holland).
Nicola J. Cronin Barham, Wonder, Work, Labour, Delight: Roman Concepts for the Visual Arts
before the Concept of Art. (Under development).
Books Chapters and Journal Articles
Nicola J. Cronin Barham, ‘A Cup of Delight: Admiring Glass in Ancient Rome’, in Allison Surtees
and Kate Cooper, ed.s, Methodologies in Ancient Material Culture, (Accepted).
Nicola J. Cronin Barham, ‘Esteemed Ornament: an Overlooked Roman Value for the Visual Arts, in
Michael Squire and Nikolaus Dietrich, ed.s, Ornament and Figure: Rethinking Visual Ontologies in
Greco-Roman Antiquity, (Berlin: De Gruyter, 2017: Forthcoming).
Nicola J. Cronin Barham, ‘Ornament and Artistic Theory in Ancient Rome: an Alternative Classical
Paradigm for the Visual Arts’, in Center 34: Record of Activities and Research Reports, June 2013–
May 2014, (Washington DC: National Gallery of Art, 2014), p. 56–59.
Nicola Cronin, ‘“Sumus novi dei”—A Fresh Appraisal of the Art and Identity of the RomanoBritish Church,’ in Martin Henig ed., Roman Art, Religion and Society, (Oxford: Archaeopress,
2007), ch. 8.
Catalogue Entries
Nicola J. Cronin Barham, ‘Roman Gold and Glass Earrings’, in the Art Institute of Chicago and
Katherine Raff, ed.s, Roman Art in the Collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, Online Scholarly
Catalogue Initiative, (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, December 2016).
Nicola J. Cronin Barham, ‘Roman Gold, Emerald, and Garnet Necklace,’ in the Art Institute of
Chicago and Katherine Raff, ed.s, Roman Art in the Collection of the Art Institute of Chicago,
Online Scholarly Catalogue Initiative, (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, December 2016).
Nicola J. Cronin Barham, ‘Roman Gold Bird Necklace Fragment’; in the Art Institute of Chicago
and Katherine Raff, ed.s, Roman Art in the Collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, Online
Scholarly Catalogue Initiative, (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, December 2016).
Nicola J. Cronin Barham, ‘Roman Gold Boss Bracelet’ in the Art Institute of Chicago and Katherine
Raff, ed.s, Roman Art in the Collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, Online Scholarly Catalogue
Initiative, (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, December 2016).
CV | Nicola Barham | Page 3 of 7
Nicola J. Cronin Barham, ‘Roman Gold Loop Bracelet’, in the Art Institute of Chicago and
Katherine Raff, ed.s, Roman Art in the Collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, Online Scholarly
Catalogue Initiative, (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, December 2016).
Nicola J. Cronin Barham, ‘Carnelian Intaglio,’ in the Art Institute of Chicago and Katherine Raff,
ed.s, Roman Art in the Collection of the Art Institute of Chicago, Online Scholarly Catalogue
Initiative, (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, December 2016).
Nicola J. Cronin Barham, ‘The Inscription’ in Sandra Knudsen, ‘Cameo of the Emperor Tiberius’ in
the Art Institute of Chicago and Katherine Raff, ed.s, Roman Art in the Collection of the Art Institute
of Chicago, Online Scholarly Catalogue Initiative, (Chicago: Art Institute of Chicago, December
2016).
Reviews
Nicola Cronin Barham, Review of Veronica della Dora, Imagining Mount Athos: Visions of a Holy
Place, from Homer to World War II. (Journal of Geographical History, Volume 45, July 2014, 120–
121).
Nicola Cronin Barham, Review of William A. Koelsch, Geography and the Classical World.
(Journal of Geographical History, Volume 43, January 2014, 179–180).
PAPERS
AND
LECTURES
Esteemed Ornament: an Overlooked Roman Aesthetic
Concept and the Ara Pacis Augustae
Paper presented at the American University of Beirut, 25
February 2016.
A Cup of Delight: Admiring Glass in Ancient Rome
Paper presented at the ‘Methodologies in Ancient Material Culture’
conference, at the University of Winnipeg, Manitoba,
Canada, 2‒4 October, 2015.
October 2015
June 2015
Esteemed Ornament: an Overlooked Ancient Aesthetic
Concept
Paper presented at the Wiko Fellows’ Forum ‘Ornament and
Figure: Rethinking Visual Ontologies in Greco-Roman
Antiquity’, at the Wissenschafskolleg zu Berlin, 17‒19 June,
2015.
Esteemed Ornament: an Overlooked Roman Aesthetic
Concept, and its Implications for Reading the Ara Pacis
Augustae
Paper presented at the Annual National Meeting of the
Archaeological Institute of America, and the Society for Classical
Studies. New Orleans, USA.
Readings of Roman Wall Painting and the Enlightenment
Aesthetic
Paper presented at the 30th biennial conference of the Classical
Association of South Africa, at the University of Bloemfontein.
Aesthetics of Encounter: the Concept of Ornament in the
Frescos of Murecine and the Late Antique
Paper presented at the Workshop on Late Antiquity and
Byzantium, University of Chicago.
February 2016
January 2015
July 2013
April 2012
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February 2012
Vital Form: Reassessing the Status of Ornament in the
Roman World—Reading Murecine’s Walls
Paper given at the Roman Discussion Forum, Institute of
Archaeology, University of Oxford.
April 2009
Church Wall Paintings in the Roman Empire
Lecture given to undergraduate students at Taylor University,
Indiana.
Out of the Box: Dealing with the Decorative in Roman Wall
Painting
Paper given at the Graduate Conference on Roman Wall Painting
at the University of Chicago.
Sumus novi dei—‘We belong to the new God’
Lecture given to the students of the Visiting Student Programme
at Wycliffe Hall, University of Oxford.
CONFERENCES
AND
WORKSHOPS
ORGNISED
TEACHING
March 2009
April 2007
Treasures of Lebanon: New Visual Analysis of the Roman
Sarcophagi of Beirut, Tyre, and Sidon
Mellon Workshop
American University of Beirut
An international workshop with speakers invited from the USA,
UK, Germany, and Holland.
March 2017
Discourses of Value: Core Concepts in the Humanities
Mellon Conference (co-organiser)
American University of Beirut
An interdisciplinary conference, with speakers invited from the
USA and the UK.
May 2017
Visual Strategies of Funerary Forms in the Roman Empire
American University of Beirut
Undergraduate and Graduate Course of my own design crosslisted in the Department of Art History and the Department of
Archaeology.
January–May 2017
Ancient and Classical Art
American University of Beirut
Undergraduate Course of my own design in the Department of
Art History.
Visual Culture in the World of Ancient Rome
University of Chicago
Responsible for all aspects of the course.
September–December 2016
April–June 2012
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Islamic Art and Architecture 1100–1500
Teaching Assistant for Dr Persis Berlekamp
University of Chicago
Graded students’ papers. Held section hours to ground students
in the terminology of the field, and to develop their skills in
critiquing and engaging with an academic argument. Taught
skills in analysis of original textual and visual sources, and
techniques for writing in examinations.
April–June 2011
Leonardo and Michelangelo
Writing Intern to Dr Charles Cohen
University of Chicago
Devised, set, and provided feedback on a paper designed to
develop students’ ability to make persuasive arguments about
visual culture. Held writing workshop to review this assignment.
Graded final papers for review by course professor.
April–June 2011
Cicero the Orator
Tutor (Oxford University System)
Visiting Student Programme, Wycliffe Hall University of Oxford.
Designed course on the speeches of Cicero, based on past
University exam questions and guidelines. Set a weekly essay
topic, and held a tutorial one-on-one with my student to refine
ideas, and develop argumentation. Graded papers, and submitted
my report to the college.
October–December 2010
January–March 2016
COMMITTEE
SERVICE
Andrew W. Mellon Summer Academy and Undergraduate
Curatorial Fellowship Program
The Art Institute of Chicago
Served on the selection committee for this undergraduate
fellowship, designed to increase the racial diversity of the
curatorial profession.
FURTHER
MUSEUM
EXPERIENCE
Andrew W. Mellon Chicago Object Study Initiative Research
Fellow
The Art Institute of Chicago
The Department of Ancient and Byzantine Art.
Wrote entries on Roman jewellery for upcoming catalogue.
Developed research on Roman glass for publication. Drafted
interpretative content. Researched comparanda of collection
pieces. Updated museum records with my research. Assisted
curators at art auctions.
September 2014–June 2015
Collection Research for Catalogue Production
The Institute of Archaeology, University of Oxford
Detailed autopsy and photography of collection of over 200
Romano-British iron and copper brooches. Worked with
temperature controlled storage spaces, and handling guidelines.
September–December2012;
January–March 2011
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FIELD WORK
The Oxford University Archaeological Dig at Steane Park,
Northamptonshire, UK
Member of the Oxford University team excavating the RomanoBritish site at Steane Park, under the direction of Susan Walker,
Keeper of Antiquities at the Ashmolean Museum.
August 2013
July 2011
The Oxford University Archaeological Dig at
Marcham/Frilford, Oxfordshire, UK
Team-member of the Oxford University team excavating the
Iron-Age and Romano-British sites at Marcham/Frilford.
LANGUAGES
Proficient in French, Latin and Ancient Greek
Reading knowledge of German
Introductory level Arabic
PROFESSIONAL
ASSOCIATIONS
College Art Association
Archaeological Institute of America
Corpus Christi College Centre for the Study of Greek and Roman
Antiquity
REFERENCES
Dr Jaś Elsner, Department of Art History, University of Chicago
and
Faculty
of
Classics,
University
of
Oxford.
[email protected]
Dr Verity Platt, Department of Classics, Cornell University.
[email protected]
Dr Karen Manchester, Department of Ancient and Byzantine Art,
The Art Institute of Chicago. [email protected]
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