ABOUT BENVENUTO CELLINI

Benvenuto Cellini

Born: November 3, 1500  – Died: February 13, 1571

Benvenuto Cellini was born in Florence on November 3, 1500. He was a sculptor, goldsmith, medalist and adventurer. At the age of 15, resisting the efforts of his father to train him as a musician, he was apprenticed as a metalworker in the studio of the Florentine goldsmith, Andre di Sando Marcone.  At 19, without even telling his father, he departed for Rome. His headstrong violent temperament, which led him constantly into trouble, was responsible for several abrupt moves between Rome and Florence.

Cellini remained in the profession of metal-worker until the end of his life, devoting an increasing amount of time in his later years to sculpture. His admiration of Michelangelo, which he expresses so often, shows up strongly in the famous saltcellar, which he completed in gold for King Francis I of France in 1543. This is Cellini’s only fully authenticated work in precious metal and is the supreme example of the Renaissance goldsmith’s work.

The fame for which Benvenuto is know is mainly due to his record of his own life, an autobiography that was first printed in Italy in 1728. Despite its manifest exaggerations and its often boastful tone, the book is a human document of surprising frankness. Thanks to it, we know Cellini’s character more intimately than that of any figure of his time.

Benvenuto Cellini married Pieta Parigi and had three children. He died February 13, 1571