The Last Supper -- Sister Plautilla Nelli c 1550
Is there any more recognizable painting in the world than Leonardo Da Vinci's Last Supper? Even though it's likely that Jesus and his disciples reclined around a three-sided table for their final meal together this masterpiece has shaped how people perceive this solemn gathering for centuries.
In 1980 I saw Leonardo's Supper which was painted on the end wall of a dining hall or refectory in a convent. It is monumental in size and truly remarkable in execution.
The other evening I watched the first segment of a series called The Story of Women and Art on TVO. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXCiVytbyRU It explores the legacy of women artists despite living in societies in which they were usually relegated to the background.
One of the works was another Last Supper, painted perhaps 50 years after the completion of the Leonardo fresco, sometime in the middle of the 16th century, and again in the refectory of a convent. This one is by Plautilla Nelli, a nun of that monastic community, and it too is an eye-opener. While not as large as Da Vinci's Supper it is huge in scope, two metres tall and seven metres long, huge. After at least 450 years hidden away from public view it has been restored and revealed to the world.
Born in 1524, Nelli became a nun and eventually established an all-woman painter workshop at her convent. The nuns sold works to the nobility of the city of Florence, and as result developed economic self-sufficiency. The signature on her painting reads: "Sister Plautilla -- Pray for the Pantress."
Once again we are reminded that the creativity of women has emerged over the ages despite efforts to quench their spirits. This work of Christian devotion should be known and celebrated.
Detail from Nelli Last Supper
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