Call for Papers: Gothic 1730–1850 — Traditions, Transmissions, Translations

The Gaudium Magnum Foundation – Maria and João Cortez de Lobão is pleased to support Gothic 1730–1850: Traditions, Transmissions, Translations, an international interdisciplinary conference taking place on 17–18 June 2027 at St Mary’s University and Strawberry Hill House, Twickenham, in collaboration with the Lewis Walpole Library at Yale University and the Kulturstiftung Dessau-Wörlitz.

The conference seeks to reconsider the Gothic Revival beyond its traditionally British context, examining its development through networks of artistic, literary and intellectual exchange across Europe and beyond. Bringing together scholars of art and architectural history, literature, collecting and antiquarianism, it will explore how objects, texts, images and ideas circulated across geographical and cultural boundaries between 1730 and 1850.

Strawberry Hill House and Garden, the celebrated Gothic Revival residence of Horace Walpole, provides a particularly fitting setting for these discussions. Its architecture, collections and literary associations reflect the interconnected artistic and intellectual influences that shaped the movement.

The programme will address six interconnected themes, ranging from the origins and theoretical foundations of the Gothic Revival to the circulation of architectural ideas, the relationship between Gothic fiction and architecture, travel and visual documentation, and the political dimensions of Gothic culture.

Confirmed plenary speakers include Martin Bressani (McGill University), Deborah Russell (University of York), Roger White (independent architectural historian) and James Uden (Yale University).

Call for Papers

The organisers welcome proposals for twenty-minute papers and panels from scholars at all career stages. Early-career researchers and scholars working outside the United Kingdom are particularly encouraged to apply.

Individual submissions should include an abstract of no more than 300 words and a biographical note of no more than 150 words. Panel proposals should include an overview of the proposed panel and abstracts for each individual paper.

Submission deadline: 4 January 2027

Submissions: gothic2027@gmail.com

Further information and the full Call for Papers are available on the conference website.

Continuing the Foundation’s commitment to Batalha

The Foundation’s participation in this conference builds on its ongoing commitment to promoting research into the Monastery of Batalha and strengthening its international recognition.

In 2024, the Foundation supported the publication of Luís Mousinho de Albuquerque and the Restoration of Batalha Monastery in the 19th Century, a bilingual edition of Mousinho de Albuquerque’s nineteenth-century account of the monument’s restoration, accompanied by an introduction by art historian Clara Moura Soares.

The publication formed part of a broader international initiative connecting the Monastery of Batalha with institutions and scholars working on the Gothic Revival across Europe. The forthcoming conference represents a further step in this collaboration, placing the Portuguese monument within a wider comparative discussion of the rediscovery, interpretation and restoration of medieval heritage.

Through its involvement, the Foundation seeks to encourage new scholarly exchanges and contribute to a broader understanding of Batalha’s place in the history of European Gothic architecture and its revival.