(b Florence, 1523; d Florence, 7 May 1588). Italian painter. Daughter of a painter, Luca Nelli, she entered the convent of S Caterina di Siena in Florence in 1537. She studied painting with Fra Paolino, a pupil of Fra Bartolommeo, and executed works, including altarpieces, for her convent and outside patrons. In the Last Supper (Florence, S Maria Novella), executed from a cartoon by Agnolo Bronzino and reminiscent of Fra Bartolommeo's restrained early style, the still-life and the starched tablecloth are carefully observed. For the Deposition (Florence, Mus. S Marco), probably executed after a design by Andrea del Sarto, she was reputed to have used the corpse of a nun for the figure of Christ. The Adoration of the Magi (Parma, Gal. N.), her own composition, is again reminiscent of del Sarto with its graceful drapery and harmony of light and shade. Nelli's solemn and undramatic compositions had gone out of fashion by the mid-16th century. She inherited Fra Paolino's important collection of drawings by Fra Bartolommeo and is said to have trained other nuns in painting, including Agata Traballesi and Maria Ruggieri.
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