Abigail Upshaw

Abigail Upshaw is a scholar of early modern Italian visual and material culture. She received her Ph.D. from the University of Maryland, College Park in 2021. Her research tends to the materiality and function of ephemera in early modern social, religious, and political life, particularly in the court centers of northern Italy. Her current book project investigates Leonardo da Vinci’s involvement with theater during his nearly twenty-year tenure at the Sforza court of Milan. Other research interests include art theory and criticism, the intersection of art and theater history, theories of spectacle, and the role of performance in early modern race and nation making. Her most recent publications appear in The Court Historian and I Tatti Studies in the Italian Renaissance.

Education

Ph.D. in Art History, The University of Maryland, College Park
M.A. (with Distinction), History and Criticism of Art, The Florida State University
B.A. (with High Honors), Art History, The University of Georgia

Specialization in Teaching

At UNCW, Abigail offers a range of courses that span the medieval period through early modernity and are global in scope. She brings the same interdisciplinary approach she applies in her scholarship to her classrooms, where students are as likely to learn about Leonardo’s recipe for fake pearls as they are the Mona Lisa. In recognition of her dedication to teaching and mentoring undergraduate students, Abigail was awarded the UNCW CHSSA Faculty Teaching Award in 2025.

Honors & Awards

Abigail’s research has been supported by various grants and fellowships, including awards from the Renaissance Society of America, The American Philosophical Society, The National Committee of the History of Art, The Society for Court Studies, and The Italian Art Society.