Emily Thompson

Emily Thompson is a PhD candidate at Washington University in St. Louis specializing in early modern Italian sculpture and gardens. Her dissertation titled, "One as One Thousand: Giambologna's Samson Slaying a Philistine and the Intersections of Early Modern Florentine Art, Culture, and Alchemy," analyzes the making of the Samson and its place in early modern Florence by examining the socio-cultural, political, and artistic conditions that led to its creation, placement, and eventual status as a diplomatic gift. She also received her MA from WashU in May 2018. Her minor field focuses on early modern cross cultural and artistic exchange between "East" and "West" from 1500-1700. She was the Mark S. Weil and Joan Hall Weil Professional Development Fellow for 2023-2024 and completed her fellowship with the WashU Center for Teaching and Learning. As an avid member of the WashU community she has served on several student boards, participated in many groups, and she is currently the student co-facilitator of the Early Modern Reading Group, a returning Graduate Fellow at the WashU Writing Center, and a Peer Mentor for the inaugural year of the Office of Graduate Studies Cross-Program Peer Circles. This fall Emily will be in Europe conducting dissertation research as the recipient of the Mark S. Weil and Joan Hall Weil Dissertation Grant 2024-2025.