The nun

By 1867, when Cabianca painted 'The Nun,' he was fully established within the Macchiaioli circle and had developed the confident tonal method that defines his mature work. Nuns and convent life were subjects he returned to repeatedly — the enclosed world of the convent offered a controlled light environment ideal for the strong tonal contrasts that Macchiaioli practice demanded, and the subject allowed him to explore interiority and stillness without the movement of outdoor genre scenes. The Galleria d'arte moderna di Milano, which holds this work, was one of the principal institutional collectors of Macchiaioli painting in the late nineteenth century, recognizing the group's historical significance before their work achieved wide critical rehabilitation. Cabianca's treatment of the nun figure — solitary, absorbed in her circumstances — connects to his broader interest in female subjects marked by contemplation, restriction, or quiet resistance. The cardboard support suggests this may have been a study or intimate-scale work rather than a major exhibition piece.

Executed on cardboard, the painting uses Cabianca's practiced Macchiaioli method: tonal patches establishing figure and space rapidly, with minimal blending between light and shadow zones. The restricted palette suits both the subject's austere setting and the economical approach of small-format work. Strong directional light is likely the primary compositional driver.