INCREDIBLE PAINTING OF THE LAST SUPPER FROM A NUN HAS BEEN RESTORED BY ALL FEMALE EXPERTS
Unfortunately, women have historically been underappreciated in the field of art. Simply because of their gender or the opportunities that are available to them, many gifted female artists are frequently passed over in favour of their male counterparts. However, there is a group in Florence that is trying to ensure that women receive the recognition they are due. And because of their efforts, a remarkable painting by a nun from the 16th century is finally receiving the attention it deserves.
A non-profit organization called Advancing Women Artists is dedicated to locating and restoring female artists' creations across Tuscany. Through their publications and vast online database, they showcase these frequently overlooked Renaissance artists. The subject of one of their most recent projects was Plautilla Nelli's colourful mural. Nelli was a self-taught artist and nun. A skilled team of art restorers, all of whom were women, collaborated with the organization to save her massive 21-foot painting of the Last Supper, which was created circa 1568, from the verge of deterioration.
The Last Supper was a popular topic for artists at the time, even though we usually associate it with Leonardo da Vinci. When one considers Nelli's skill at painting the human body, her rendition is an astounding accomplishment. Her apostles' faces are meticulously detailed, and they are animated and expressive. Given that women were prohibited from studying anatomy at the time, the work is all the more impressive.
The table is equally impressive. It stands alongside any still life made at the time, strewn with finely crafted bread, salt cellars, knives, and wine glasses. During her time, Nelli's exceptional talent was also well-known, albeit always with the disclaimer that it was regrettable that she was a woman. In his seminal work, Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects, Giorgio Vasari referred to four women, including her.
"There were so many of her paintings in the houses of gentlemen in Florence, it would be tedious to mention them all," he says, praising her. However, he also makes it apparent that he believes her gender is a barrier. She would have done wonderful things if she had only studied as men do.”
Nelli and many other female painters of the era were frequently disregarded both then and now, in part because of this way of thinking. Up until the convent's dissolution in the early 1800s, Nelli's Last Supper was displayed in the dining room. From there, it's been on a journey, from the Santa Maria Novella monastery to a warehouse abandoned to surviving the 1960 Florence flood. After that, it was added to the Santa Maria Novella Museum, but it was not visible to the general public.
That has changed as a result of Advancing Women Artists' efforts. The organization's all-female team of restorers began working to bring the painting back to life after raising the required funds. Lead conservator Rossella Lari stated “We restored the canvas and, while doing so, rediscovered Nelli’s story and her personality. She had powerful brushstrokes and loaded her brushes with paint.”
With the completion of the project, Nelli's Last Supper is now on permanent display in the Santa Maria Novella Museum, where it belongs. Through the efforts of Advancing Women Artists, Nelli has become more well-known and is no longer destined to remain in the background. Find out more about Nelli's Last Supper and the spectacular restoration in Visible. Plautilla The restoration of Nelli and her last meal.