My name is Jitske Jasperse and I am a medieval art historian. I am originally from the Netherlands, but since 2023 I have been working as a researcher at the Instituto de Historia del CSIC. I am a specialist in the material culture of the Middle Ages and I am interested in the power and representation of women through their objects. The material culture I study includes coins, seals, rings, illuminated manuscripts, portable altars and reliquaries. Small artefacts, such as rings, are of special interest to me, because they had an intimate connection with the bodies of medieval people and are therefore very personal objects.

I have a dog (his name is Lemu) from a shelter in Madrid and I love walking with him. My favourite book is ‘Manual for Cleaning Women’ by the American Lucia Berlin who also lived in Chile and Mexico. Her stories are funny, sad and always have an element of surprise.