Dissertation 

Collaboration and Innovation in Stained Glass in the Circle of Rubens: Abraham van Diepenbeeck, Theodoor van Thulden, & Jan de Labarre

Advisor

Joseph Manca, Nina J. Cullinan Professor of Art and Art History, Professor of Art History

Margot (Marge) Steurbaut is a Belgian-Flemish stained-glass conservator and art historian whose research focuses on early-modern Netherlandish stained-glass practices and the material culture of the Flemish Baroque. Her dissertation, "Collaboration and Innovation in Stained Glass in the Circle of Rubens," examines how Abraham van Diepenbeeck, Theodoor van Thulden, and Jan de Labarre collaboratively conceived, designed, and executed stained glass in seventeenth-century Antwerp. Through a combined approach of technical analysis, archival research, and practical experiment, the project seeks to reveal the innovative processes and workshop collaborations that shaped this long-overlooked facet of the period. Bringing together her professional background in conservation and her interests in technical art history, conservation science, and the history of craft knowledge, her work aims to reinsert stained glass into the broader art-historical discussions.

Trained as a conservator, Margot holds an M.A. in Stained-Glass Conservation and Heritage Management (with distinction) from the University of York and a B.A. in Conservation Studies, specializing in stained glass, from the University of Antwerp. She has worked as a stained-glass conservator in Belgium and Germany, completed advanced practical training in the craft, and continues to collaborate with contemporary glass painters in Europe to reconstruct historical techniques. During her time at Rice, she continues to expand her research in stained glass through diverse projects, driven by a strong commitment to the protection and appreciation of the art form and its associated practices. 

Publications:
The Glazing of Beverwijck’s First Dutch Reformed Church: Colonial Power Visualized. Nederlands Kunsthistorisch Jaarboek  / Netherlands Yearbook for History of Art, Vol. 75 (2025): The Dutch Americas: art histories of the Atlantic world. https://doi.org/10.1163/22145966-07501003