Acknowledgements
One of my favorite sections to write for this book was the one that dealt with the family and network of Chicart Bailly. For the most part, it was a community of connection and support that led to positive outcomes during that time, and without the same in my life, this book would not have been possible. First and foremost, my gratitude belongs to Guy-Michel Leproux, who for over a decade has been infinitely generous with his time and knowledge, guiding me through the often-tough work of wrangling old documents. While seemingly eons ago, the process of learning how to transcribe began in 2008 with a spot in The Mellon Institute for French Paleography at the Newberry Library, and my teacher there, Marc Smith, was crucial for my eventual path to the archives. A large part of my progress towards the inventory of Chicart Bailly was due to long-term residence in Paris, which was facilitated by a Kress Institutional Fellowship at the Institute national d’histoire de l’art, followed by a position as a chercheure accueilli at the same institution. During each of these periods abroad, I met a host of kind and welcoming colleagues — at the INHA, in classes at the EPHE, and amongst the ex-pat community — who made my time in Paris infinitely more fulfilling, both intellectually and personally. Without support from the other side of the Atlantic, however, I would have never even made it to these steps, and the aid and care from my advisor Larry Goedde made my time abroad possible.
Although different as possible from the streets of Paris, Jonesboro Arkansas has become my new home. Here, I have received amazing support, open ears, and the occasional book-related favor (thanks Temma and Leslie!) from my colleagues. The university has also assisted me in the endeavor of this book, and various streams of support have helped me on my way. Most important were the FRAC Eleanor Lane Travel Endowment in 2019 and the Undergraduate Research Assistantship in 2020, wherein Nathan Grimes was able to help me advance the translation of Appendix 2.
Throughout the process, this project has relied on the old and the new. For the former, the Archives nationales have been ever receptive to my repeated requests to look at my documents “just one more time,” and I have enjoyed many hours spent under their green lamps. The new has been provided by the remarkable digital access of online projects and digitized collections, without which research from my office in Arkansas would not be possible. A special acknowledgment needs to be extended to the Gothic Ivories Project, whose sponsored conference in 2014 first put me in touch with Stephen Perkinson, a meeting that precipitated the first attribution to the workshop of Chicart Bailly. This discovery was revealed to the public as part of the amazing exhibition at Bowdoin College in 2017, and I must thank this institution for inviting me to a symposium set up in tandem with the show. Not only did I have the chance to see some great presentations and receive of some great questions, but also had the chance to try my first lobster roll (in the great company of Sarah and Jack). Many thanks to Stephen for his invitation to participate in The Ivory Mirror — I am so proud to have an essay in the book with one of the best covers I have ever seen.
Other invitations to excellent venues have importantly shaped how I think about certain parts of this project. I was extremely lucky to meet both the students and the faculty at Whitman College and the University of Kansas — thank you to Krista Gulbransen and Anne Hedeman for those opportunities. It was at the KU event that I also had the chance to meet an industrious graduate student, Sarah Dyer Magleby, who not only picked up the awesome (but terrifying) habit of being an Anglophone archive rat after our meeting, but also kindly read over earlier versions of this book.
Lastly, for any art history text, images are important, and every institution in the “List of Illustrations” deserves my thanks. Equally key are the suggestions and advice from those directly involved in the publication process, and I want to thank my peer reviewers for their suggestions, editor Alessandra Giliberto for her counsel, and the AVISTA board for accepting this project into their fantastic series.
Turning to the personal, no acknowledgments would be complete without an expression of my enduring gratitude to family and friends. While the pandemic made it difficult to get back to Canada for a visit, I have always felt the support of my aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents. The loudest cheers inevitably come from my amazing parents Peggy and Steve, and I have loved every “writing retreat” at your home on the most perfect Canadian lake. Across the high and lows of the academic process, Daniel and the cats have made things easier, funnier, and more loving, key for getting things done. Lastly, to all my friends — from graduate school, from the campus at A-State, and from my travels — thank you for being there and my making days better and my brain more agile with of your respective brilliance.