Silvia Davoli holds a Ph.D. in Cultural History and History of Art that focuses on the collections of Eastern and European art formed by the Parisian banker and Republican Henry Cernuschi (1821-1896) (forthcoming publication with Brill). Her specialization in the History of Collections reflects her research methodology, which privileges a multidisciplinary and cultural approach, encompassing the material and economic realities and the history of mentalities. She also specialises in provenance research as a way to illuminate the social, economic and historic context in which objects were produced and collected.
Her current research focuses on Orientalism and Jewish collecting culture.
Since 2013 she has been a Research Curator at Strawberry Hill House and undertook a major research into the provenance of the collection of the 18th-century collector and art historian Horace Walpole, which resulted in an exhibition held in 2018-2019.