Plautilla Nelli
Florentine artist Plautilla Nelli has garnered much enthusiasm recently, as her forgotten works are being restored after hundreds of years. Her masterpiece, a 7-meter long Last Supper, is featured here in Daily Art Magazine.
Advancing Women Artists (AWA), a non-profit organization, has been working to discover the hidden artistic oeuvre of Plautilla Nelli (1524–1588) since 2009. Their latest restoration is Nelli's The Crucifixion, the central work of a three-piece commission by 16th-century prioress Arcangela Viola, who managed the Florence-based convent of Santa Caterina. Its restoration has been in progress since 2016, whereas Nelli's other two lunettes depicting Saint Dominic and Saint Catherine were restored by conservator Rosella Lari in 2009.
Today we present one of those lunettes. Both of them will soon be on permanent display at the Last Supper Museum of Andrea del Sarto in Florence where her other restored works can also be seen. We know that Arcangela Viola ordered this lunette from her fellow sister as a way to capture her own spiritual visions on canvas.
Today was our last day of the special month with Advancing Female Artist foundation. Don't forget to see the past three Sundays when we featured other pieces they've restored. :)