Plautilla Nelli: The First Female Renaissance Painter

Hey, everyone! Today, I want to introduce you to an incredible woman who broke barriers during the Renaissance—Plautilla Nelli (1524–1588). She was a Dominican nun from Florence, Italy. And, she was the first known female painter of the Renaissance! Nelli wasn’t just any painter. Her large-scale works were in demand. That was a huge deal for a woman in a male-dominated field.

Nelli’s father, Piero di Luca Nelli, was a successful fabric merchant in Florence’s San Felice area. When she was 14 he placed her in a convent. That was a cost saving practice for wealthy families. It was cheaper to pay convent dowry than a marriage dowry. Luckily for Nelli, her convent – Santa Caterina da Siena – encouraged their nuns not to only pray but to learn, draw and grow.

So why don’t we hear more about her? Like many talented women, Nelli was forgotten by art history. The male-dominated art world often ignored women’s contributions. Sometimes, art created by women was even credited to men. This led to her work being lost to time. Her talent, however, deserves to be remembered!

Back then, women’s education only prepared them to be wives and mothers. Few had the chance to train with master artists. That put them at a disadvantage. A woman’s reputation was also tied to public expectations of virtue and obedience. One wrong step could end an artist’s career. Despite these challenges, Nelli became a prioress three times!

Nelli’s work inspired modern groups like Advancing Women Artists. Her large-scale devotional paintings were rare for a woman of her time. She even ran a busy studio within her convent. And she mingled with prominent male painters!

The sermons of Savonarola encouraged religious women to avoid idleness by painting and drawing. Nelli’s convent became a hub for nun-artists. Largely self-taught, she found inspiration by copying the works of Fra Bartolomeo. Since a nun couldn’t study male nudes, her male figures had softer, more feminine traits. Yet she created large, bold paintings. An incredible achievement for a woman back then.

Here’s a couple fun facts about Nelli. Tthere’s a street in Florence named after her family; it’s Via del Canto de’ Nelli. And, her family’s old home is now part of the Church of San Lorenzo.

Nelli had many patrons, including women. She painted everything from huge pieces to miniatures. She humbly signed her works, “Pray for the Paintress,” proudly acknowledging her role as a female artist. She’s also one of the few women mentioned in Vasari’s Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors, and Architects.

Plautilla Nelli is proof that women were capable of great things during the Renaissance, even when history tried to erase them. Let’s not let her legacy fade away again!

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