On November 12, at 11:00 a.m., online (via Zoom), another session of the Forum organized by the IEM Research Group Images, Texts, and Representations (ITR) will take place.
This session will feature a presentation by Visiting Fellow María Abellán Montes, entitled Usos y función de los tejidos en la Corte Castellana del siglo XV.

About the Speaker

María Abellán is a PhD candidate in Art History at the Complutense University of Madrid, under the supervision of Dr. Matilde Miquel Juan.
Her doctoral research, entitled Usos y función de los tejidos en la corte castellana del siglo XV, focuses on an interdisciplinary study of textiles as vehicles of representation and power in the courtly context of the late Middle Ages.

She holds a degree in Art History from the Complutense University of Madrid (2015–2019) and a Master’s in Medieval Studies from the University of Bristol (2019–2020). She later completed a Master’s in Art Appraisal and Painting at ESNECA Business School, earning recognition for academic excellence. In 2021–2022, she obtained a Diploma in Gemology from the Spanish Gemological Institute (IGE 1967).

Professionally, she has developed experience in the art market, working at the auction house Ansorena 1845 in the Appraisal and Cataloguing Department, where she specialized in painting and jewelry. Between 2021 and 2022, she served as Director of the Art Appraisal and Cataloguing Department and was part of the founding team of Magado Joyas & Antiques, a company dedicated to the commercialization and consultancy of artistic and heritage pieces.

In the academic field, she has participated in several research projects, such as Corte y Cortes en el Tardogótico Hispano II. Narrativa, memoria y sinergias en el lenguaje visual (PGC2018-093822-B-100) (2022–2023), directed by Dr. Matilde Miquel de Juan and Dr. Olga Pérez Monzón as principal investigators, as well as the ARQUIMED research group (941377), in which she is currently involved.
Outside Spain, she collaborated as a research assistant in the History of the Community project at the University of Bristol and Downside Abbey (Somerset).

She has presented papers at internationally recognized conferences, including the International Medieval Congress (Leeds, 2022) and the 15th Century Congress (Bristol, 2021), among others.
In addition, she has taught both theoretical and practical courses on medieval art, the art market, and sustainable art investment at institutions such as the Complutense University of Madrid, EAE Business School, and IEB Madrid.