Anne-Lise Tropato
Visiting Scholar
Affiliation: NYU Abu Dhabi
Education: BA, University of Toulouse II (France); PhD, University of Rome II (Italy)
Research Areas: Artistic and cultural history of Falconry, Artistic, intellectual and cultural international relationships in Early Modern Europe, Great European collections and collectors, Visual Print Culture, Heritage studies, Digital Humanities
About Anne-Lise
Anne-Lise’s research focuses on falconry’s cultural history in the context of national and international relationships, and examines what human engagements with birds of prey across time and culture, reveal about the understanding and the definition of ourselves, of our civilizations, and our aspirations across a range of ethnic, religious, historical, and geographical differences.
She works on the development and curation of a database of artistic representations of falconry (virtual collection), and on the scientific co-edition of a 2-volume book entitled Raptor on the fist – falconry and related imagery throughout the millennia on a global scale. This book shows the universal use of the falcon-sign and the ability of falconry to capture the imagination. It questions the image people have, and have had, of falcons and falconry – throughout history, in different cultures, documented on a global scale, in a variety of visual and material representations. In addition, Anne-Lise created and teaches an interdisciplinary course on the cross-cultural exploration and analysis of falconry. She also continues her separate research and exhibition project on mental and visual imagery of women in falconry, bridging Europe and the UAE and challenging the idea of falconry as a masculine culture.
Publications
Books
Oliver Grimm, Karl Heinz-Gerzman, and Anne-Lise Tropato, eds. Raptor on the fist: falconry and related imagery throughout the millennia on a global scale. Wachholtz, 2020.
Journals
Tropato, Anne-Lise. “The Museum Cartaceum’s impact in France: the role of the Republic of Letters in the publication of the paper-museum of Gaspard de Monconys.” In Fragmenta: Journal of the Royal Netherlands Institute in Rome (2014).
Tropato, Anne-Lise. “Du tableau à l’estampe, de l’estampe au tableau: traduction et translation d’une œuvre de Jacopo Bassano en France.” ArtItalies 19 (2013).
Tropato, Anne-Lise. “Nicolas Fabri de Peiresc, Cassiano dal Pozzo e Gaspard de Monconys: scambi epistolari e cultura antiquaria nel primo Seicento.” In Studi di Memofonte: Rivista on-line semestrale 8 (2012): 31-46.
Book Chapters
Tropato, Anne-Lise. “Foreword: Why should we look at images of raptors on the fist?” In Raptor on the fist: falconry, its imagery and similar motifs throughout the millennia on a global scale, edited by Karl-Heinz Gersmann, Oliver Grimm, Anne-Lise Tropato. Wachholtz, 2020.
Tropato, Anne-Lise. “Falconry as Digital Cultural Heritage. Some theoretical and technical implications on building a virtual collection of artistic representations of falconry.” In Raptor on the fist: falconry, its imagery and similar motifs throughout the millennia on a global scale, edited by Karl-Heinz Gersmann, Oliver Grimm, Anne-Lise Tropato. Wachholtz, 2020.
Tropato, Anne-Lise. “Man, Death and Hawks: Images of an encounter (Christian occident, 13th -15th century).” In Raptor on the fist: falconry, its imagery and similar motifs throughout the millennia on a global scale, edited by Karl-Heinz Gersmann, Oliver Grimm, Anne-Lise Tropato. Wachholtz, 2020.
Tropato, Anne-Lise. “Gaspard de Monconys, Provost-Marshal of the Merchants and Collector in Seventeenth-Century Lyon.” In Early Modern Merchants as Collectors, edited by Christina M. Anderson, 184-196. Routledge, 2016.
Interview
“Falconry Imagery and Database”
Events
In the News
Rajan Datar asks what lies at the heart of the bond between humans and raptors, and explores the modern-day challenges to this ancient, and at times controversial, practice.
NYUAD Researcher Featured on BBC’s Flagship Discussion Program
Anne-Lise Tropato’s insight into the roundtable discussion with other leaders in the field of falconry was featured on the BBC’s website and broadcast to millions worldwide.
July 7, 2021
Le Portrait Francophone – Anne-Lise Tropato (in French)
Anne-Lise Tropato has a doctorate in art history. She teaches artistic and cultural history of falconry at NYUAD.
Salut les Émirats | June 28, 2020
L’antica arte della falconeria, patrimonio dell’umanità (in Italian)
Falconry Researcher Anne-Lise Tropato talks about NYUAD's falconry project in this episode of the Italian podcast 'The Voice of Focus History'.
La Voce di Focus Storia | June 16, 2020
Arts and Culture: Tracing the visual history of falconry in the UAE
Anne-Lise Tropato talks to Gulf News about this important fixture in Arabian culture.
Gulf News | May 19, 2020
Birdwatchers
Researchers from NYUAD examine the diversity, evolutionary history, and genomics of falcons.
December 11, 2019
What falconry can teach us about diplomacy and feminism
A new course at NYU – Abu Dhabi is using falconry to teach students about everything from art history to heritage and the role of women in society.
The National | November 28, 2019
Falconry Research Project: database by UAE researchers shows ubiquity of predatory bird
Researchers at New York University Abu Dhabi are compiling a database of falconry imagery through history.
The National | December 7, 2017