The great Renaissance women of the Italian Renaissance are not as widely known as the men and are often underrepresented in general knowledge. This is because the Italian Renaissance, which roughly spanned the 14th through 17th centuries, was a time when women were not always welcomed into the field of art, and their works remained largely unsupported. Despite this, many women forged paths for themselves, making lasting contributions to the field of art and its development.
Plautilla Nelli was an Italian Renaissance painter born in 1524 in Florence, Italy. Nelli was one of the few women artists of her time and is considered today to be the first known woman artist in Florence. Nelli was a member of the Dominican convent of Santa Caterina da Siena, where she lived and worked, and the Church primarily commissioned her paintings. As such, Nelli’s work commonly portrays religious scenes but often features powerful female figures.
