In conjunction with the Max Planck International Research Network on Aging
(MaxNetAging), the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florence
(Max-Planck-Institut) seeks to appoint a doctoral student to pursue studies
in Art History with a focus on human aging.

The scholarship will be granted for two years with the possibility of an
additional year, and will preferably start on October 1, 2008. The PhD
student will spend an initial period at the Max-Planck-Institute for
Demographic Research in Rostock, Germany. During this period, the student
will attend lectures and seminars organized in the framework of MaxNetAging
(see www.maxnetaging.mpg.de). In summer 2009, the PhD student will move to
the Kunsthistorisches Institut in Florence.

Potential research areas include but are not limited to:
- Representations of the ages of life
- The Fountain of Youth in art and literature
- Representations of families including the representation of family trees
and ancestral lines
- Physiognomic studies of the elderly
- Youth and beauty as topics of propaganda or commercial art
- Artistic studies of the process of aging
- Gender-specific differentiation in the iconography of aging
- Aging and death (for example, in representations of the dance of death or
in tomb sculpture)
- Artists’ late work (for example, comparative studies of artists’ early and
late work or studies of the concept of artists’ late work)
- Artists’ memoirs
- Visible traces of aging in artists’ work (for example, the trembling hand
in drawings)

Excellent students with an MA degree or its equivalent are eligible to apply
for the fellowship. Applications should include a cover letter describing
research interests and relevant experience, a curriculum vitae, the name and
contact information of one professional reference, a proposal for the planed
dissertation topic (max. 10 pages) and proof of MA/BA certification. Fluency
in English is essential. Some knowledge of German and/or Italian, although
not essential, is preferred. The application process is open to students of
all nationalities.

The Max Planck Society wishes to increase the number of women in areas in
which they are underrepresented, and strongly encourages women to apply. The
Max Planck Society is likewise committed to funding more scholars with
disabilities and also encourages them to apply.

Applications should be sent - not later than August 31, 2008 - to:

Prof. Dr. Gerhard Wolf
Kunsthistorisches Institut Florenz
Max-Planck-Institut
Via Giuseppe Giusti 44
50121 Florence
Italy