Pietro Antonio Nelli (29 June 1672, Massa – 1740,

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

) was an Italian painter of the

Rococo Rococo, less commonly Roccoco ( , ; or ), also known as Late Baroque, is an exceptionally ornamental and dramatic style of architecture, art and decoration which combines asymmetry, scrolling curves, gilding, white and pastel colours, sculpte ...

period. He created religious works, portraits, and landscapes.

Life and work

He went to Rome at an early age. There, he was a pupil of Giovanni Maria Morandi, who also became a friend and supporter. He may have lived with him until 1717, when he died. Pope

Clement XI Pope Clement XI (; ; ; 23 July 1649 – 19 March 1721), born Giovanni Francesco Albani, was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 23 November 1700 to his death in March 1721. Clement XI was a patron of the arts an ...

commissioned a portrait that is one of his best-known works. He was then appointed a Court Painter by the Albani family, a position he held until the time of Clement XII, and created numerous family portraits, including one of Cardinal Alessandro Albani. The Rospigliosi and Pallavicini families were also major patrons. Many of these works, and other portrayals of religious leaders, became widely familiar through engravings made by Girolamo Rossi, Niccolò Billy, and Giovanni Giacomo Frey. Some of these were later published in ''Serie de' Cardinali crea dall'anno 1700 all'anno 1773''. His religious works include an

altarpiece An altarpiece is a painting or sculpture, including relief, of religious subject matter made for placing at the back of or behind the altar of a Christian church. Though most commonly used for a single work of art such as a painting or sculpture, ...

for the Civita Castellana Cathedral and canvases for the church of

Sant'Onofrio, Rome Sant'Onofrio al Gianicolo - Latin, lat. ' - is a titular church in Trastevere, Rome. It is the official church of the papal order of knighthood Order of the Holy Sepulchre (Catholic), Order of the Holy Sepulchre. A side chapel is dedicated to the ...

. In the

Basilica In Ancient Roman architecture, a basilica (Greek Basiliké) was a large public building with multiple functions that was typically built alongside the town's forum. The basilica was in the Latin West equivalent to a stoa in the Greek Eas ...

Santa Maria in Trastevere The Basilica of Santa Maria in Trastevere () or Our Lady in Trastevere is a titulus (Roman Catholic), titular minor basilica in the Trastevere district of Rome, and one of the oldest churches of Rome. The basic floor plan and wall structure of the ...

, he painted a panel depicting Jesus. He also decorated several parts of the church of San Lorenzo in Piscibus, but some are now missing. He was a member of the Pontifical Academy of Fine Arts and Letters of the Virtuosi al Pantheon. His best-known student was Francesco Zuccarelli. His sister, Maura, was apparently a poet, although little is known of her.

Sources

* Francesco Petrucci, ''Pittura di Ritratto a Roma. Il Settecento'', Andreina & Valneo Budai Editori, 2010 * Fabrizio Scheggi, ''"Furono protagonisti", biografie di personaggi storici nel Mugello'', Borgo San Lorenzo, 2019 *

External links

Biography
from the ''

Dizionario biografico degli italiani The ''Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani'' () is a biographical dictionary published in 100 volumes by the Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana, started in 1960 and completed in 2020. It includes about 40,000 biographies of distinguished Italia ...

'', vol. 78 @

Treccani Institute Giovanni Treccani for the publication of the Italian Encyclopedia (), also known as Treccani Institute or simply Treccani, is a cultural institution of national interest, active in the publishing field, founded by Giovanni Treccani ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nelli, Pietro 1670s births 17th-century Italian painters Italian male painters 18th-century Italian painters Italian Baroque painters 18th-century deaths 18th-century Italian male artists