Isabelle Ostertag
PhD Candidate
EmailIsabelle Ostertag is a doctoral candidate researching English medieval architecture under Dr. Lisa Reilly. Her dissertation, "Porta Caeli: Lay Piety and Marian Devotion in the Parochial Lady Chapels of East Anglia,” analyzes lay Marian devotion in medieval England through an examination of parochial chapels dedicated to the Virgin Mary in East Anglia. She received a Master of Philosophy in History of Art and Architecture from the University of Cambridge where she studied under the supervision of Dr. Paul Binski. Her dissertation provided the first complete description of the sculptural program in the Lady Chapel at Ely Cathedral. After completing her MPhil she worked in the art sector in New York City, first at Doyle Auction House and then at the Hill Art Foundation. She received her BA in Art History and German from Williams College.
She is particularly interested in Marian devotion in medieval art and architecture.