Organised By: Netherlands Interuniversity Institute for Art History (NIKI), Florence
Date: Friday, 23 October 2026
Time: 10:00 AM – 4:40 PM
Location: Museum Catharijneconvent, Utrecht, Netherlands
Format: Academic Symposium
Artemisia Gold Participation: Jane Adams, Special Collection Viewing
On 23 October 2026, the Netherlands Interuniversity Institute for Art History (NIKI) will present Italy and the Low Countries: Artistic Relations, New Research, an international symposium hosted at Museum Catharijneconvent in Utrecht.
Bringing together art historians, researchers and museum professionals, the symposium explores the artistic relationships between Italy and the Low Countries through new scholarship, technical research and archival discoveries. The programme is organised around three principal themes: Material Knowledge and the Artistic Workshop; Women as Makers, Patrons and Protagonists; and Afterlives: Memory and the Image.
As part of the symposium, Jane Adams of Artemisia Gold will host a special small-group viewing of two paintings attributed to Suor Plautilla Nelli (1524–1588), the pioneering Florentine Renaissance painter and Dominican nun.
Taking place during the lunch interval in the museum’s depot, the viewing will bring together the museum’s own panel and the recently restored Madonna and Child with Saint Catherine, Saint Agnes and Saint Dominic, brought by Jane Adams. Participants will have the opportunity to examine the two works together, offering a rare perspective on Nelli’s artistic practice and the importance of conservation in advancing research into her work.
The wider symposium features presentations examining Renaissance workshop collaborations, technical art history, women in Florentine confraternities, the circulation of artworks across Europe and emerging digital methodologies in art-historical research. Among the contributions is a presentation by Romy Kerkhof of the Rijksmuseum on the Anglo-Dutch painter Agatha van der Mijn and her participation in the 1737 exhibition of the Accademia dell’Arte del Disegno in Florence.
For Artemisia Gold, the special viewing reflects the organisation’s commitment to advancing the study, conservation and recognition of women artists whose contributions have long been underrepresented in art history. By bringing restored works into dialogue with museum collections and contemporary scholarship, the event offers an opportunity to further the understanding of Plautilla Nelli’s artistic legacy.
Event Details
Event: NIKI Symposium 2026: Italy and the Low Countries
Date: Friday, 23 October 2026
Time: 10:00 AM – 4:40 PM
Venue: Museum Catharijneconvent, Utrecht, Netherlands
Special Viewing: Two paintings attributed to Plautilla Nelli, hosted by Jane Adams of Artemisia Gold during the lunch interval. Small groups of up to 15 participants.
Further Information: NIKI Florence
Programme: See the accompanying symposium brochure for the full schedule, speakers and abstracts.
