Courtauld Gallery

‘Illuminating Objects’ curatorial residency: The Art and Science of Decorative Stones

2017

Natasha was selected as the ‘Illuminating Objects’ curatorial resident at the prestigious Courtauld Gallery. This annual residency selects one post-graduate student who does not have a background in art history to choose an object from the collection that has never been on show before and curate its display from their alternative perspective.

For this, Natasha selected a 17th century Baroque frame, beautifully inlaid in pietre dure with a variety of semi-precious stones. She curated its display from a geological perspective, researching each stones provenance and properties, highlighting the natural and manmade processes. To show just how incredible the evolution from raw minerals to polished stones, she borrowed rare specimens from the Oxford University Museum of Natural History, bringing crystals into the Courtauld Gallery for the very first time.
She was also responsible for the public engagement of this project, creating a blog about her research for the Courtauld website as well as giving several talks to the public.