Giulia Simonini

Giulia Simonini is a postdoctoral researcher at the Bibliotheca Hertziana - Max Planck Institute for Art History, affiliated with the research group Visualizing Science in Media Revolutions. Her academic career includes a PhD in the history of science (Technical University of Berlin, 2021) and MA in art history (Berlin and Krakow), with a BA in restoration (Bologna and Potsdam). From 2021 to 2025, she worked on the project Dimensions of Techne in the Arts at TU Berlin.

Research Interests

Giulia’s research explores the intersection of art and science, focusing on historical color systems, natural history illustrations, and painting techniques. She investigates how color charts, pigment experiments, and entomological illustrations shaped scientific and artistic knowledge in the early modern period. Her work bridges disciplines such as color science, art conservation, and scientific visualization.

Publication Trends

Her recent publications examine 18th–19th century color theories, including Newton’s color wheel, Tobias Mayer’s systems, and practical applications like painting-by-number techniques. She also analyzes the material culture of watercolor cakes and historical color standards for botany and entomology, highlighting interactions between artisans and scholars.