Pietro Nelli was an Italian

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

 painter of the late-Baroque

Baroque

The Baroque is a period and the style that used exaggerated motion and clear, easily interpreted detail to produce drama, tension, exuberance, and grandeur in sculpture, painting, literature, dance, and music...

 period.

He was born in Massa

Massa

Massa is a town and comune in Tuscany, central Italy, the administrative centre of the province of Massa-Carrara. It is located in the Frigido River Valley, near the Alpi Apuane, some 5 kilometers from the Tyrrhenian Sea....

, where he had been a pupil of Giovanni Maria Morandi

Giovanni Maria Morandi

Giovanni Maria Morandi was an Italian painter, mainly active in Rome and his natal city of Florence, but also Venice.In Rome, he painted numerous altarpieces, including the Death of Mary in the church of Santa Maria della Pace, but also works in Santa Maria in Vallicella and Santa Maria del Popolo...

 in Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

. He was known for his portraits including those of Cardinal Lodovico Pico (engraved by Frey); Andrea Giuseppe Rossi (engraved by Niccolo Billy

Niccolo Billy

Niccolò Billy was an Italian engraver of the 18th century, active in Rome. Originally from France, he was active around 1734 along with his brother Antonio Billy. They engraved several portraits and historical subjects...

); and Bishop Giovanni Francesco Tenderini (engraved by Giovanni Battista Rossi (engraver)).