Christina J Faraday

Dr Christina J Faraday FSA FRHistS is an Affiliated Lecturer in History of Art at the University of Cambridge, specializing in Tudor and Stuart visual and material culture with wider interests in Northern European art from the Middle Ages through the Renaissance. She serves as Director of Studies at Sidney Sussex, Lucy Cavendish, and Pembroke Colleges, and contributes to the Department's access and outreach programs including the Sutton Trust Summer School.

• BA First Class in History of Art, St John's College, Cambridge
• MPhil in History of Art and Architecture with Distinction
• PhD (AHRC-funded) on Elizabethan and Jacobean attitudes toward images

Her research centers on the concept of 'liveliness' in Tudor visual culture, exploring how images and objects were perceived as vivid and realistic despite not conforming to modern notions of realism. She investigates the relationship between images, objects, literature, and music across time, with particular attention to horology in Tudor portraiture and the symbolism of timekeeping devices. Her work bridges academic scholarship and public engagement through media appearances and exhibitions.

Dr Faraday's publications reveal consistent focus on Tudor visual culture, with recurring themes of materiality, presence, and the relationship between image and viewer. Her work spans book-length studies, scholarly articles in leading journals, and public-facing criticism in outlets like Apollo magazine. She demonstrates particular expertise in portrait miniatures, religious imagery post-Reformation, and the cultural significance of everyday objects.

• Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries (FSA)
• Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (FRHistS)
• Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (AFHEA)
• Shortlisted for British Journalism Awards 2021 (Arts and Entertainment Category)

As Director of Studies at three Cambridge colleges, Dr Faraday supervises undergraduate students across History of Art programs. She has received significant research funding including an AHRC grant for her doctoral work. Her upcoming exhibition 'Tudor Contemporary' at the Heong Gallery (2026) represents a major curatorial project bringing historical objects into dialogue with contemporary artistic responses. She also serves as Co-Director of the MSt in History of Art and Visual Culture at Madingley Hall.

Dr Faraday actively participates in the Cambridge Visual Culture Seminar Series and contributes to research centers including The Ax:son Johnson Centre for the Study of Classical Architecture. Her collaborative work with contemporary artists for the 2026 exhibition represents an innovative approach to bridging historical scholarship and contemporary practice.