On December 14, 2024 the restored Madonna del Rosario by Plautilla Nelli (1524-88), one of Florence’s earliest known female artists, was unveiled at the Chiesa dei SS. Giuseppe e Lucia in Montaione, a picturesque town about 35 kilometres southwest of Florence. The event was dedicated to the memory of philanthropist Jane Fortune and marked the culmination of a thorough effort to study, restore and protect this important Renaissance painting, showcasing the talent and legacy of the nun-artist.
Born in 1524, Plautilla Nelli was a Dominican sister at the Convent of Santa Caterina da Siena in Florence. She was a largely self-taught artist who gained popularity for her emotionally resonant religious works. The Madonna del Rosario, one of her most beautiful pieces, demonstrates her mastery in conveying devotional subjects with vivid details and expressions. Although Nelli’s art was celebrated and cherished by her contemporaries, it was not until the 2000s that her accomplishments as a Renaissance painter and workshop administrator began to receive widespread recognition from modern viewers.
Fausta Navarro, historian and curator of the 2017 Plautilla Nelli exhibition at the Uffizi Galleries discovered the Montaione altarpiece while doing research in 2016 and was the first person to attribute it to Nelli. Catherine Turrill-Lupi, historian and professor emeritus at California State University, Sacramento, has studied this and other paintings by the artist and her bottega that have also come to light recently.
Under the guidance of Anna Floridia from the Soprintendenza Archeologia, Belle Arti e Paesaggio for the Metropolitan City of Florence and the Provinces of Pistoia and Prato, a team of experts used a full range of diagnostics, analysis and preservation techniques to uncover the original vibrancy and details of the painting. The restoration process was led by Florentine restorer Rossella Lari, while the CNR National Institute of Optics provided crucial technical support for the diagnostic phase.
