Gold Salt cellar by Cellini.

Benvenuto Cellini (November 3, 1500 – February 13, 1571) was an Italian goldsmith, painter, sculptor, soldier and musician of the Renaissance. Image File history File links Cellini02. ... Image File history File links Cellini02. ... A salt cellar is a small dish for holding salt. ... November 3 is the 307th day of the year (308th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar, with 58 days remaining. ... 1500 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 44th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Events January 11 - Austrian nobility is granted Freedom of religion. ... A goldsmith creating a new ring A goldsmith is a metalworker who specializes in working with precious metals, usually to make jewelry. ... Painting by Rembrandt self-portrait Detail from Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez, in which the painter portrayed himself at work For the computer graphics program, see Corel Painter. ... A sculpture is a three-dimensional object, which for the purposes of this article is man-made and selected for special recognition as art. ... This article is about a military rank. ... “Instrumentalist” redirects here. ... The Renaissance (French for rebirth, or Rinascimento in Italian), was a cultural movement in Italy (and in Europe in general) that began in the late Middle Ages, and spanned roughly the 14th through the 17th century. ...

Biography

Benvenuto Cellini was born in Florence, Italy, where his family had been landowners in the Val d'Ambra for three generations. His father, Giovanni Cellini, built and played musical instruments; he married Maria Lisabetta Granacci, and eighteen years elapsed before they had children. Benvenuto was the second child. Florence (Italian, Firenze) is a city in the center of Tuscany, in central Italy, on the Arno River, with a population of around 400,000, plus a suburban population in excess of 200,000. ... A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified with the purpose of making music. ...

The father wished Benvenuto to join him in instrument making, and endeavoured to thwart his inclination for metalwork. When he was fifteen, his father reluctantly agreed to apprentice him to a goldsmith, Antonio di Sandro, nicknamed Marcone. Benvenuto had already attracted attention in his native town, after a fray with youthful companions, he escaped punishment by fleeing for six months to Siena, where he worked for Fracastoro, a goldsmith; from there he moved to Bologna, where he became a more accomplished flute-player and made progress in the goldsmith's art. After visiting Pisa, and after twice resettling in Florence (where he was visited by the sculptor Torrigiano), he decamped to Rome, age nineteen. Piazza del Campo Siena is a city in Tuscany, Italy. ... Girolamo Fracastoro (Fracastorius) (1478‑1553) was an Italian physician, scholar and poet. ... Bologna (IPA , from Latin Bononia, BulÃ¥ggna in Emiliano-Romagnolo) is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna in northern Italy, in the Pianura Padana, between the Po River and the Apennines, exactly between the Reno River and the Sàvena River. ... The flute is a musical instrument of the woodwind family. ... This article discusses the Italian city. ... Nickname: Motto: SPQR: Senatus Populusque Romanus Location of the city of Rome (yellow) within the Province of Rome (red) and region of Lazio (grey) Coordinates: Region Lazio Province Province of Rome Founded 21 April 753 BC Government  - Mayor Walter Veltroni Area  - City 1,285 km²  (580 sq mi)  - Urban 5...

His first attempt at his craft here was a silver casket, followed by some silver candlesticks, and later by a vase for the bishop of Salamanca, which introduced him to the favourable notice of Pope Clement VII; likewise at a later date one of his celebrated works, the gold medallion of "Leda and the Swan" — the head and torso of Leda cut in hard stone — executed for the Gonfaloniere Gabbriello Cesarino, which is now in the Vienna museum; he also reverted to music, practised flute-playing, and was appointed one of the pope's court-musicians. In the attack upon Rome by the Constable de Bourbon, which occurred immediately after, the bravery and address of Cellini proved of signal service to the pontiff; if we may believe his own accounts, his was the very hand which shot the Bourbon dead, and he afterwards killed Philibert of Châlon, prince of Orange (although Orange did not die until the siege of Florence in 1530). General Name, Symbol, Number silver, Ag, 47 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 11, 5, d Appearance lustrous white metal Standard atomic weight 107. ... This article should be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. ... Chinese vase A vase with a sunflower pattern A modern designed vase The vase is an open container, often used to hold cut flowers. ... This article is about a title or office in religious bodies. ... Salamanca (population 160,000) is a city in western Spain, the capital of the province of Salamanca, which belongs to the autonomous community (region) of Castile-Leon (Castilla y León). ... For the antipope (1378–1394) see antipope Clement VII and other Popes named Clement see Pope Clement. ... Leda and the Swan is a motif from Greek mythology, in which Zeus came to Leda in the form of a swan. ... Vienna (German: , see also other names) is the capital of Austria, and also one of the nine States of Austria. ... The Louvre Museum in Paris, one of the largest and most famous museums in the world. ... For other uses, see Music (disambiguation). ... Charles III de Bourbon, engraved portrait by Thomas de Leu Charles III of Bourbon-Montpensier, Eighth Duke of Bourbon (February 17, 1490 – May 6, 1527 in Rome) was Count of Montpensier and Dauphin of Auvergne. ... Pontiff is a title of certain religious leaders, now used principally to refer to the Mercinary of the New Church. ... Philibert de Châlon (° 18 March 1502, Nozeroy - † 3 August 1530, outside Florence) was the last prince of Orange from the house of Châlon. ... Combatants Holy Roman Empire, Spain, Genoa France, Papal States, Republic of Venice, Florence, England, Duchy of Milan Commanders Charles de Bourbon â€ , Georg Frundsberg, Philibert of Châlon â€  Vicomte de Lautrec *, Francesco Ferruccio â€ , Giovanni de Medici â€ , Comte de St. ... June 25 - Augsburg confession presented to Charles V of Holy Roman Empire. ...

Bust of Benvenuto Cellini on the Ponte Vecchio, Florence.

His exploits paved the way for a reconciliation with the Florentine magistrates, and he returned shortly to his native place. Here he assiduously devoted himself to the execution of medals, the most famous of which (executed a short while later) are "Hercules and the Nemean Lion", in gold repoussé work, and "Atlas supporting the Sphere", in chased gold, the latter eventually falling into the possession of Francis I. Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 399 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (2345 × 3519 pixel, file size: 4. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 399 × 599 pixel Image in higher resolution (2345 × 3519 pixel, file size: 4. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Heracles. ... GOLD refers to one of the following: GOLD (IEEE) is an IEEE program designed to garner more student members at the university level (Graduates of the Last Decade). ... This article contains a trivia section. ... Francis I (François Ier in French) (September 12, 1494 – March 31, 1547), called the Father and Restorer of Letters (le Père et Restaurateur des Lettres), was crowned King of France in 1515 in the cathedral at Reims and reigned until 1547. ...

From Florence he went to the court of the duke of Mantua, and then again to Florence and to Rome, where he was employed not only in the working of jewelry, but also in the execution of dies for private medals and for the papal mint. Here in 1529 he killed his brother's murderer; and soon had to flee to Naples to shelter himself from the consequences of an affray with a notary, Ser Benedetto, whom he wounded. Through the influence of several of the cardinals he obtained a pardon; and on the elevation of Pope Paul III to the pontifical throne he was reinstated in his former position of favour, notwithstanding a fresh homicide of a goldsmith which he had committed more by accident than of malice prepense in the interregnum. Mantua (in Italian Mantova, in the local dialect of Emiliano-Romagnolo language Mantua) is an important city in Lombardy, Italy and capital of the province with the same name. ... Jewelry (the American spelling; spelled jewellery in Commonwealth English) consists of ornamental devices worn by persons, typically made with gems and precious metals. ... The Papal Mint is the popes institute for the production of hard cash. ... Events April 22 - Treaty of Saragossa divides the eastern hemisphere between Spain and Portugal, stipulating that the dividing line should lie 297. ... “Napoli” redirects here. ... Notary can refer to either of the following two professions: Notary public. ... A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official, usually a bishop, of the Roman Catholic Church, a member of the College of Cardinals which as a body elects a new pope. ... Pope Paul III (February 29, 1468 – November 10, 1549), born Alessandro Farnese, was Pope from 1534 to 1549. ... An interregnum is a period between monarchs, between popes of the Roman Catholic Church, emperors of Holy Roman Empire, polish kings (elective monarchy) or between consuls of the Roman Republic. ...

Once more the plots of Pierluigi Farnese, a natural son of Paul III, led to his retreat from Rome to Florence and Venice, and once more he was restored with greater honour than before. On returning from a visit to the court of Francis I, being now aged thirty-seven, he was imprisoned on a charge (apparently false) of having embezzled during the war the gems of the pontifical tiara; he remained some while confined in the Castel Sant'Angelo, escaped, was recaptured, and treated with great severity, and was in daily expectation of death on the scaffold. Pier Luigi Farnese in a portrait by Titian. ... Venice (Italian: Venezia, Venetian: Venezsia, Latin: Venetia) is a city in northern Italy, the capital of region Veneto, and has a population of 271,663 (census estimate January 1, 2004). ... WAR is a three-letter abbreviation with multiple meanings, as described below: War War (band) Warrenton Railroad (AAR reporting marks WAR) WAR, a Japanese professional wrestling promotion Web ARchive, a file format used to package Java programming language applications. ... This does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Castel SantAngelo from the bridge. ...

At last, however, he was released at the intercession of Pierluigi's wife, and more especially of the Cardinal d'Este of Ferrara, to whom he presented a splendid cup. For a while, he worked at the court of Francis I, at Fontainebleau and Paris; but he considered the duchesse d'Étampes to be set against him, and the intrigues of the king's favourites, whom he would not stoop to conciliate and could not venture to silence by the sword, as he had silenced his enemies in Rome, led him, after about five years of laborious and sumptuous work, and of continually-recurring jealousies and violences, to retire in 1545 in disgust to Florence, where he employed his time in works of art, and exasperated his temper in rivalries with the uneasy-natured sculptor Baccio Bandinelli. Ferrara is a city in Emilia-Romagna, Italy, capital city of the province of Ferrara. ... Location within France Fontainebleau is a commune in the metropolitan area of Paris, France. ... This article is about the capital of France. ... Anne de Pisseleu dHeilly Anne de Pisseleu dHeilly, duchesse dÉtampes (1508 – 1580), mistress of Francis I of France, daughter of Guillaume de Pisseleu, a nobleman of Picardy. ... Events February 27 - Battle of Ancrum Moor - Scots victory over superior English forces December 13 - Official opening of the Council of Trent (closed 1563) Battle of Kawagoe - between two branches of Uesugi families and the late Hojo clan in Japan. ... Bartolommeo (or Baccio) Bandinelli (November 12, 1493 - February 7, 1560), Florentine sculptor, was the son of an eminent goldsmith, and from him Bandinelli obtained the first elements of drawing. ...

The first collision between the two had occurred several years before when Pope Clement VII commissioned Cellini to mint his coinage. Now, in an altercation before Duke Cosimo, Bandinelli insultingly stigmatized Benvenuto as guilty of gross immorality, calling out to him Sta cheto, soddomitaccio! (Shut up, you filthy sodomite!); in his autobiography Cellini recalls repelling rather than denying the charge, claiming to be unworthy of such a divine and royal diversion. Certainly his art, often celebratory of the young male form, is a testimonial to his appreciation of that beauty. Some of Cellini's homoerotic classical references This article does not cite its references or sources. ... Homosexuality refers to sexual interaction and / or romantic attraction between individuals of the same sex. ...

Cellini was charged four times with sodomy, only one of which is covered in his autobiography: François Elluin, Sodomites provoking the wrath of God, from Le pot pourri de Loth (1781). ...

• At the age of 23 with a boy named Domenico di ser Giuliano da Ripa, an accusation was settled with a small fine (perhaps thanks to his youth at the time).
• While in Paris, a former model and lover brought charges against him of using her "after the Italian fashion." This is the only charge recounted in his autobiography, possibly because his confrontation with his accuser at court led to a dismissal of charges.
• In Florence in 1548, Cellini was accused by a woman named Margherita, for having certain familiarities with her son, Vincenzo. Perhaps this was a private quarrel, one from which he simply fled, and undeserving of attention.
• Finally, in 1556, his apprentice Fernando, after being fired for an altercation, accused his mentor of: (as the indictment read) Cinque anni ha tenuto per suo ragazzo Fernando di Giovanni di Montepulciano, giovanetto con el quale ha usato carnalmente moltissime volte col nefando vitio della soddomia, tenendolo in letto come sua moglie (For five years he kept as his boy Fernando di Giovanni di Montepulciano, a youth whom he used carnally in the abject vice of sodomy numerous instances, keeping him in his bed as a wife.) This time the penalty was a hefty fifty golden scudi fine, and four years of prison, remitted to four years of house arrest thanks to the intercession of the Medicis.

He is also known to have taken some of his female models as mistresses, having an illegitimate daughter with one of them while living in France. After briefly attempting a clerical career, in 1562, he married a servant, with whom he had five children, of which only a son and two daughters survived him. For the board game, see Medici (board game). ...

It is notable that his references to his boy models (and possibly lovers) are more tender and affectionate than his references to women, including his wife. In his sculpture, the male is always more convincingly modelled than the female - his Venus of Fontainebleau, while notable, is unconvincing as a representation of the realistic female body.

During the war with Siena, Cellini was appointed to strengthen the defences of his native city, and, though rather shabbily treated by his ducal patrons, he continued to gain the admiration of his fellow-citizens by the magnificent works which he produced. He died in Florence in 1571 and was buried with great pomp in the church of the Annunziata. He had supported in Florence a widowed sister and her six daughters. Events January 11 - Austrian nobility is granted Freedom of religion. ...

Works

Perseus with the Head of Medusa in the Loggia dei Lanzi gallery on the edge of the Piazza della Signoria in Florence; picture taken after the statue's cleaning and restoration.

Besides the works in gold and silver which have been adverted to, Cellini executed several pieces of sculpture on a grander scale. The most distinguished of these is the bronze group of "Perseus holding the head of Medusa", a work (first suggested by Duke Cosimo I de Medici) now in the Loggia dei Lanzi at Florence, full of the fire of genius and the grandeur of a terrible beauty, one of the most typical and unforgettable monuments of the Italian Renaissance. He wanted to surpass in a superlative way Michelangelo's David and Donatello's Judith and Holofernes. In doing so, he has achieved one of the high points in European sculpture. The casting of this great work gave Cellini the utmost trouble and anxiety; and its completion was hailed with rapturous homage from all parts of Italy. The original relief from the foot of the pedestal — Perseus and Andromeda — is in the Bargello, and replaced by a cast. Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1704x2272, 1129 KB) Statue of Perseus, Piazza della Signoria, Florence - Canon S45 I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (1704x2272, 1129 KB) Statue of Perseus, Piazza della Signoria, Florence - Canon S45 I, the creator of this work, hereby release it into the public domain. ... The Piazza della Signoria is an L-shaped square in front of the Palazzo Vecchio in Florence, Italy. ... Florence (Italian: ) is the capital city of the region of Tuscany, Italy. ... A sculpture is a three-dimensional object, which for the purposes of this article is man-made and selected for special recognition as art. ... Assorted ancient Bronze castings found as part of a cache, probably intended for recycling. ... Perseus with the head of Medusa, by Antonio Canova, completed 1801 (Vatican Museums) Perseus, Perseos, or Perseas (Greek: Περσεύς, Περσέως, Περσέας), the legendary founder of Mycenae and of the Perseid dynasty there, was the first of the mythic heroes of Greek mythology whose exploits helped establish the hegemony of Zeus and the Twelve... Medusa, by Arnold Böcklin (1878) In Greek mythology, Medusa (Greek: Μέδουσα, Médousa, guardian, protectress[1]), was a monstrous chthonic female character, essentially an extension of an apotropaic mask, gazing upon whom could turn onlookers to stone. ... Cosimo I de Medici in Armour by Agnolo Bronzino Cosimo I de Medici (June 12, 1519 - April 21, 1574) was the first Grand Duke of Tuscany, ruling from 1537 to 1574, during the waning days of the Renaissance. ... The Loggia dei Lanzi, also called the Loggia della Signoria, is a building on the Piazza della Signoria in Florence, adjoining the Uffizi Gallery. ... David and Goliath by Caravaggio, c. ... The bronze statue Judith and Holofernes (1460), created by Donatello at the end of his career, can be seen in the Hall of Lilies (Sala dei Gigli), in the Palazzo Vecchio, Florence, Italy. ... See Andromeda (disambiguation) for other uses of Andromeda. Andromeda Chained to the Rock by the Nereids (1840) Théodore Chassériau, Louvre Andromeda was a Greek mythological figure who was chained to a rock to be eaten by a sea monster and was saved by Perseus, whom she later married. ... the Bargello For the type of embroidery, please visit Bargello (needlework) The Bargello palace was built in 1255 to house first the Capitano del Populo and later, in 1261, the Podestà, the highest magistrate of the Florence City Council, Italy. ...

By 1996 centuries of exposure to the elements had left the statue streaked and banded with dirt and pollution. In December of that year it was removed from the Loggia to the Uffizi for cleaning and restoration. This was a slow and painstaking process, and it was not until June 2000 that the restored statue was returned to its original home. Year 1996 (MCMXCVI) was a leap year starting on Monday (link will display full 1996 Gregorian calendar). ... It has been suggested that Pollutant be merged into this article or section. ... The narrow courtyard between the Uffizis two wings creates the effect of a short, idealized street. ... 2000 (MM) was a leap year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Among his works of art not already mentioned, many of which have perished, were a colossal Mars for a fountain at Fontainebleau and the bronzes of the doorway, coins for the Papal and Florentine states, a Jupiter in silver of life size, and a bronze bust of Bindo Altoviti. The works of decorative art are, speaking broadly, rather florid than chastened in style. Mars was the Roman god of war, the son of Juno and a magical flower (or Jupiter). ... Jupiter et Thétis - by Jean Ingres, 1811. ...

In addition to the bronze statue of Perseus and the medallions already referred to, the works of art in existence today executed by him are a medallion of Clement VII in commemoration of the peace between the Christian princes, 1530, with a bust of the pope on the reverse and a figure of Peace setting fire to a heap of arms in front of the temple of Janus, signed with the artist's name; a medal of Francis I with his portrait, also signed;a medal of Cardinal Pietro Bembo; and the celebrated gold, enamel and ivory salt-cellar (known as Saliera) made for Francis I at Vienna. This object, of a value conservatively estimated at 58,000,000 schilling, was stolen from the Kunsthistorisches Museum on May 11, 2003. This intricate 16-centimeter-high sculpture was commissioned by Francis I. Crafted with amazingly rich detail and skill, its principal figures are a naked sea god and a woman who sit opposite each other, with legs entwined - a symbolic representation of the planet earth. The thief climbed scaffolding and smashed windows to enter the museum. The thief set off the alarms, but these were ignored as false, and the theft remained undiscovered until 8:20 AM. On January 21, 2006 the Saliera was recovered by the Austrian police and is supposed to be returned to the Kunsthistorisches Museum the coming days. For the antipope (1378-1394) see Antipope Clement VII. Pope Clement VII Clement VII, né Giulio di Giuliano de Medici (1478 – September 25, 1534) was pope from 1523 to 1534. ... June 25 - Augsburg confession presented to Charles V of Holy Roman Empire. ... Roman bust of Janus, Vatican In Roman mythology, Janus was the god of gates, doors, doorways, beginnings, and endings. ... The title of Francis I can refer to: Francis I of Austria (1768-1835) Francis I, King of France 1515-47 Francis I, Holy Roman Emperor (1745-1765) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Pietro Bembo (May 20, 1470 - 18 January 1547), Italian cardinal and scholar. ... Benvenuto Cellinis Saliera Saliera is Italian for salt cellar (i. ... Kunsthistorisches Museum at Maria-Theresien-Platz, Vienna. ... May 11 is the 131st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (132nd in leap years). ... 2003 (MMIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... January 21 is the 21st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... For the Manfred Mann album, see 2006 (album). ...

One of the most important works by Cellini from late in his career was a life-size nude crucifix carved from marble. Although originally intended to be placed over his tomb, this crucifix was sold to the Medici family who gave it to Spain. Today the crucifix is in the Escorial Monastery near Madrid, where it has usually been displayed in an altered form--the monastery added a loincloth and a crown of thorns. For detailed information about this work, see the text by Juan López Gajate in the Further Reading section of this article. The facade of the chapel, in the baroque style of Jesuit churches, is integrated with the palatial facade El Escorial is an immense palace, monastery, museum, and library complex located at San Lorenzo de El Escorial (also San Lorenzo del Escorial), a town 45 kilometres northwest of Madrid in the...

Cellini, while employed at the papal mint at Rome during the papacy of Clement VII and later of Paul III, executed the dies of several coins and medals, some of which still survive at this now defunct mint. He was also in the service of Alessandro de Medici, first duke of Florence, for whom he executed in 1535 a forty-soldi piece with a bust of the duke on one side and standing figures of the saints Cosma and Damian on the other. Some connoisseurs attribute to his hand several plaques, "Jupiter crushing the Giants", "Fight between Perseus and Phinaeus", a Dog, etc. This article is on the first Duke of Florence. ... Events January 18 - Lima, Peru founded by Francisco Pizarro April - Jacques Cartier discovers the Iroquois city of Stadacona, Canada (now Quebec) and in May, the even greater Huron city of Hochelaga June 24 - The Anabaptist state of Münster (see Münster Rebellion) is conquered and disbanded. ... In traditional Christian iconography, Saints are often depicted as having halos. ...

The important works which have perished include the uncompleted chalice intended for Clement VII; a gold cover for a prayer-book as a gift from Pope Paul III to Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor — both described at length in his autobiography; large silver statues of Jupiter, Vulcan and Mars, wrought for Francis I during his sojourn in Paris; a bust of Julius Caesar; and a silver cup for the cardinal of Ferrara. The magnificent gold "button", or morse, made by Cellini for the cape of Clement VII, the competition for which is so graphically described in his autobiography, appears to have been sacrificed by Pope Pius VI, with many other priceless specimens of the goldsmith's art, in furnishing the indemnity of 30,000,000 francs demanded by Napoleon at the conclusion of the campaign against the States of the Church in 1797. According to the terms of the treaty, the pope was permitted to pay a third of that sum in plate and jewels. Fortunately there are in the print room of the British Museum three watercolour drawings of this splendid morse by F. Bertoli, done at the instance of an Englishman named Talman in the first half of the 18th century. The obverse and reverse, as well as the rim, are drawn full size, and moreover the morse with the precious stones set therein, including a diamond then considered the second largest in the world, is fully described. Chalice For other uses, see Chalice A chalice (from Latin calix, cup) is a goblet intended to hold drink. ... Charles V (24 February 1500 – 21 September 1558) was ruler of the Burgundian Netherlands (1506-1555), King of Spain (1516-1556), King of Naples and Sicily (1516-1554), Archduke of Austria (1519-1521), King of the Romans (or German King), (1519-1556 but did not formally abdicate until 1558) and... Vulcan, in Roman mythology, is the son of Jupiter and Juno, and husband of Maia and Venus. ... Gaius Julius Caesar [1] (Latin pronunciation ; English pronunciation ; July 12 or July 13, 100 BC or 102 BC–March 15, 44 BC), was a Roman military and political leader and one of the most influential men of classical antiquity. ... Pius VI, born Giovanni Angelo Braschi (December 27, 1717 – August 29, 1799), Pope from 1775 to 1799, was born at Cesena. ... For other uses, see Napoleon (disambiguation). ... The Papal States (Gli Stati della Chiesa or Stati Pontificii, States of the Church) is one of the historical states of Italy before its unity under the crown of Savoy and comprised those territories over which the Pope was the ruler in a civil as well as a spiritual sense... 1797 (MDCCXCVII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 11-day-slower Julian calendar). ... The British Museum in London is one of the worlds greatest museums of human history and culture. ... Watercolor is a painting technique making use of water-soluble pigments that are either transparent or opaque and are formulated with gum to bond the pigment to the paper. ...

Cellini in literature

Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini, Penguin Classics edition 1998.

Not less characteristic of its splendidly gifted and barbarically untameable author are the autobiographical memoirs which he composed, beginning them in Florence in 1558 — a production of the utmost energy, directness and racy animation, setting forth one of the most singular careers in all the annals of fine art. His amours and hatreds, his passions and delights, his love of the sumptuous and the exquisite in art, his self-applause and self-assertion, running now and again into extravagances which it is impossible to credit, and difficult to set down as strictly conscious falsehoods, make this one of the most singular and fascinating books in existence. Cellini not only writes of the strange and varied adventures of which we have presented a hasty sketch, but of the devout complacency with which Cellini could contemplate a satisfactorily achieved homicide. He writes of his time in Paris: Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Cover of the first English edition of 1793 of Benjamin Franklins autobiography. ... Events January 7 - French troops led by Francis, Duke of Guise take Calais, the last continental possession of England July 13 - Battle of Gravelines: In France, Spanish forces led by Count Lamoral of Egmont defeat the French forces of Marshal Paul des Thermes at Gravelines. ... The Bath, a painting by Mary Cassatt (1844-1926). ...

There are parts of his tale that are clearly outright falsehoods, such as the legion of devils which he and a conjurer evoked in the Colosseum, after one of his not innumerous mistresses had been spirited away from him by her mother; of the marvelous halo of light which he found surrounding his head at dawn and twilight after his Roman imprisonment, and his supernatural visions and angelic protection during that adversity; and of his being poisoned on two separate occasions. If he is unmeasured in abusing some people, he is also unlimited in praising others. The Colosseum by night: exterior view of the best-preserved section. ...

The autobiography has been translated into English by Thomas Roscoe, by John Addington Symonds, and by A. Macdonald. It has been considered and published as a classic, and commonly regarded as one of the most colourful autobiographies (certainly the most important autobiography from the Renaissance).^[2] Cellini also wrote treatises on the goldsmith's art, on sculpture, and on design (translated by C. R. Ashbee, 1899). John Addington Symonds was the name of a father and son, both English writers. ...

The life of Cellini also inspired the popular French author Alexandre Dumas, père. Dumas, an author of numerous historical novels wrote Ascanio, which was based on Cellini's life. The novel focuses on several years during Cellini's stay in France, working for Francis. The book is also centred around Ascanio, an apprentice of Cellini. The famous scheming, plot twists and intrigue that made Dumas famous feature in the novel, in this case involving, Cellini, the duchesse d'Etampes and other members of the court. Cellini is portrayed as a passionate and troubled man, plagued by the inconsistencies of life under the "patronage" of a false and somewhat cynical court. Alexandre Dumas, père, born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie (July 24, 1802 – December 5, 1870) was a French writer, best known for his numerous historical novels of high adventure which have made him one of the most widely read French authors in the world. ... A historical novel is a novel in which the story is set among historical events, or more generally, in which the time of the action predates the lifetime of the author. ...

In addition to the opera by Berlioz, Cellini was also the subject of a Broadway musical, The Firebrand of Florence, by Ira Gershwin and Kurt Weill, which featured Lotte Lenya (Mrs. Weill) as one of the sculptor's royal conquests. The show, unfortunately, was not a hit, and only ran for a month on Broadway, although some of its songs are periodically revived. It marked the last major collaboration between Weill and Gershwin, whose collaboration was best known for the classic Lady in the Dark (1941). [1] Broadway theatre[1] is the most prestigious form of professional theatre in the U.S., as well as the most well known to the general public and most lucrative for the performers, technicians and others involved in putting on the shows. ... The Fantasticks is the longest-running musical in history Musical theatre is a form of theatre combining music, songs, spoken dialogue and dance. ... Ira Gershwin (6 December 1896 – 17 August 1983) was an American lyricist who collaborated with his younger brother, composer George Gershwin, to create some of the most memorable songs of the 20th century. ... Kurt Julian Weill (March 2, 1900 – April 3, 1950), born in Dessau, Germany and died in New York City, was a German and in his later years, a German-American composer active from the 1920s until his death. ... Lotte Lenya (October 18, 1898 – November 27, 1981), singer and actor, born Karoline Wilhelmine Blamauer, in Vienna, Austria. ...

References

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.

Encyclopædia Britannica, the 11th edition The Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition (1910–1911) is perhaps the most famous edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica. ... The public domain comprises the body of all creative works and other knowledge—writing, artwork, music, science, inventions, and others—in which no person or organization has any proprietary interest. ...

Footnotes

The New International Encyclopedia was an encyclopedia first published in the 1910s. ...

Further reading

• López Gajate, Juan. El Cristo Blanco de Cellini. San Lorenzo del Escorial: Escurialenses, 1995.
• Pope-Hennessy, John Wyndham. Cellini. New York: Abbeville Press, 1985.
• Parker, Derek: Cellini. London, Sutton, 2004.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Benvenuto_Cellini

• Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini, Symonds translation, available at Project Gutenberg.
• Homoerotic works in the Androphile image collection

More images of the restored Perseus: Image File history File links Commons-logo. ... The Wikimedia Commons (also called Wikicommons) is a repository of free content images, sound and other multimedia files. ... Project Gutenberg, abbreviated as PG, is a volunteer effort to digitize, archive, and distribute cultural works. ...

• Reverse angle (400k) from Pbase
• Works by Benvenuto Cellini at Project Gutenberg
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