Romana Sammern

Romana Sammern is a Senior Scientist at the University of Salzburg, holding dual affiliations with the Art, Music and Dance Studies and German Studies departments. Her research spans art historical, cultural, and gender studies perspectives with a specialized focus on beauty practices, cosmetics, and body culture from the Renaissance through the Early Modern period.

Her scholarly work examines the material culture of beauty through interdisciplinary lenses, connecting historical practices with contemporary discourse. Key research areas include the symbolism of whiteness in Renaissance art, the intersection of medicine and cosmetics, gender representation in visual culture, and the material history of beauty products. Her publications demonstrate consistent engagement with both historical analysis and modern reinterpretation of artistic traditions.

• Library Research Grant recipient (2013)
• Principal Investigator for "Face and Image: Make-up and Painting in the Early Modern Period" (2013-2018)
• Project Manager for ongoing "Face and image. Cosmetics and Art, 1500–1800" research (2021-2026)

As an active public intellectual, Sammern contributes regularly to media discussions on historical beauty practices, appearing in radio interviews about toxic cosmetics and participating in exhibition design projects including "The Arts of Beauty: Exhibition Designs" at Schloss Ambras Innsbruck. Her scholarly output shows consistent productivity with 42 publications documented through 2025, demonstrating sustained research activity across multiple disciplinary boundaries.