Nicola Sanesi was an Italian painter, lithographer, illustrator and restorer. He studied at the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence. Sanesi showed his paintings at numerous exhibitions, mainly in Italy, but also at the Universal Exhibition in Vienna in 1873. Above all, however, Sanesi made a name for himself as an illustrator and lithographer. He worked for several political newspapers during the Risorgimento. In his caricatures, he expressed his patriotic sentiments. He also illustrated numerous novels and restored various early Renaissance paintings on behalf of the Ministry of Culture.