CELLINI, Benvenuto

The obverse of this coin shows the Medici coat-of-arms, while on the verso St John the Baptist is represented.

The silver Giulio coin was originally used in Ferrara.

After the death of Pope Clement VII, Cellini went to Venice, and then to Florence where he enjoyed the protection of Alessandro de’ Medici, Duke of Florence. He minted the 40 soldi worth of testone for him. (Testone was a former silver coin of Milan, first issued in 1468, bearing on the obverse a bust of the Duke of Milan. The silver soldo, first struck in the 13th century, was the backbone of the Italian monetary system until the early 19th century.)

The coin manifests Alessandro de’ Medici’s desire to render the power he held over the city of Florence evident to all through the diffusion of his portrait. On the obverse Alessandro de’ Medici is portrayed, on the verso Sts Cosma and Damian, protectors of the Medici, are represented.

Carlino was a small silver coin of the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, first struck in the 13th century. It was named after Charles (Carlo) of Anjou. The obverse side of the coin shows Pope Clemens VII, while the reverse side St Peter saved by Christ.

Benvenuto Cellini probably relied on a profile drawing by Pontormo. Most prominent in both the drawing and the testoon is the duke’s very curly hair.

This study is for the seal of the Accademia del Disegno.

After 1548 Cellini produced three marble statues of mythological subjects (all in Bargello): the Ganymede (1548-50), which was constructed by adding head, arms, feet and a base with an eagle to an antique torso given to Cosimo I by Stefano Colonna (d. 1548); the group of Apollo and Hyacinth; and the Narcissus, which was carved from a block of Greek marble that had been worn away by rainwater.

The chronology of the Apollo and Hyacinth and the Narcissus (both original works) is unclear, but they were produced some time in the period 1548-57. They were undoubtedly inspired by Cellini’s desire to prove himself in Florence as a marble sculptor and to challenge on his own ground the Duke’s favourite sculptor, Bandinelli: the results are not altogether convincing. Even if the small Ganymede (height ca. 1 m) may be considered a successful re-interpretation of Jacopo Sansovino’s Bacchus, the (unfinished) Apollo and Hyacinth and the Narcissus cannot be included among Cellini’s best works. It should, however, be remembered that the two statues were not rediscovered until 1940, having been exposed to the elements in the Boboli Gardens for nearly two centuries.

This composition was made from marble without previous preparatory models. It remained unfinished in Cellini’s workshop, and when he died it passed into the hands of Francesco I de’ Medici, and thence to the Bargello.

Out of the sides of the pedestal of Perseus are hollowed four niches in which stand bronze statuettes of Mercury, Danaë, Jupiter and Minerva.

The picture shows the statuette of Danaë with her son Perseus.

Out of the sides of the pedestal of Perseus are hollowed four niches in which stand bronze statuettes of Mercury, Danaë, Jupiter and Minerva.

The picture shows the statuette of Jupiter.

Out of the sides of the pedestal of Perseus are hollowed four niches in which stand bronze statuettes of Mercury, Danaë, Jupiter and Minerva.

The picture shows the statuette of Mercury.

Out of the sides of the pedestal of Perseus are hollowed four niches in which stand bronze statuettes of Mercury, Danaë, Jupiter and Minerva.

The picture shows the statuette of Minerva.

Bindo Altoviti was a wealthy Florentine banker. His father had set up a bank in Rome, but he died in 1507, leaving the 16-year-old Bindo as head of the family business. His business with the papal court required his presence in Rome. He was a patron and collector of works of art and, at the end of his life, proud opponent to the principality of Cosimo I de’ Medici, in the name of his republican ideas. Bindo was a friend of many important artists of his time, including Raphael, Michelangelo, Cellini and Vasari.

The portrait of the young Altoviti was painted by Raphael.

In 1545 Cellini began work on an over life-size bronze portrait bust of Cosimo I modelled from life. By October 1547 it had been cast, but the chasing and gilding were not completed before February 1548. The bust, which depicts the Duke in elaborately modelled Roman armour, is of superb workmanship. Cellini was vying with works from antiquity as well as with his principal rival in Florence, Bandinelli, but above all he sought to capture the disquieting personality of the sitter.

The Duke, who viewed official portraits in terms of stereotypes, was incapable of appreciating the intimate, nervous image of himself that Cellini had created: the bust was kept in his private apartments until in 1557 it was sent to Portoferraio on the island of Elba. It was tranferred to the Bargello in 1781.

The picture shows the detail of thorax.

The picture shows the detail of right epaulette with leonine protome,

Three later drawings in the British Museum by Francesco Bartoli (1675-1730) show the front and back, as well as the profile of the cope pin which Cellini designed for Pope Clement VII. The original of this jewel does not exist today, but Cellini described it in detail in his Autobiography. The design won Clement’s favour and support as well as the desired appointment as superintendent of the dies at the Papal Mint.

Three later drawings in the British Museum by Francesco Bartoli (1675-1730) show the front and back, as well as the profile of the cope pin which Cellini designed for Pope Clement VII. The original of this jewel does not exist today, but Cellini described it in detail in his Autobiography. The design won Clement’s favour and support as well as the desired appointment as superintendent of the dies at the Papal Mint.

Many of Cellini’s sculptures of the later 1540s and early 1550s, whether restorations of antique marble fragments or original works such as the bust of Cosimo I and the bronze relief of a Saluki Dog (Florence, Bargello), were based on Classical prototypes. These prototypes were, however, translated into a Mannerist style that found its exact pictorial equivalent in the smooth forms favoured by Agnolo Bronzino.

Cellini’s final masterpiece is the marble Crucifix, which was to have decorated his own tomb. It was made with the object of fulfilling a vow made by Cellini in 1539 during his imprisonment in the Castel Sant’Angelo but also as another attempt to demonstrate his mastery as a marble sculptor. In his will of 1555, it is recorded only as a small wax model. Cellini intended to translate it into marble but specified that should he die before doing so it was to be executed by the best sculptor available, on condition that this person was not a descendant or pupil of Bandinelli. It was to be placed in Santa Maria Novella, opposite Brunelleschi’s Crucifix.

The following year Cellini purchased the marble required for the work and, when he was imprisoned that same year, decided to undertake the carving himself with the help of Bernardino Pettirossi. In March 1557, in a petition to Cosimo, Cellini claimed that the work was almost complete and in November that year he bought the black marble to carve the cross; the figure of Christ is of white marble. The sculpture was not finally completed until 1562, the date carved as part of the inscription at the feet of Christ.

At some point difficulties in finding a home for Cellini’s tomb and a pressing need for money led him to present the Crucifix as a ‘gift’, for which he sent in a bill, to Cosimo I who had the statue taken to the Palazzo Pitti in August 1565. Five years after the artist’s death, Grand Duke Francesco I de’ Medici presented it to Philip II of Spain, who installed it in the monastery of San Lorenzo el Real in the Escorial, where it was rediscovered in 1882.

This beautifully carved Crucifixion has a long history. Cellini made this beautifully carved Crucifixion following a vision that he had while he was a prisoner at Castel Sant’Angelo. Originally he planned to place it on his own tomb in the Dominican church of Santa Maria Novella in Florence. He intended to place the work on a pillar in the transept of Santa Maria Novella, in a similar position to that of Brunelleshi’s Crucifix in the opposite branch of the transept.

Due to a disagreement with the Dominicans he agreed with the Church of Santissima Annunziata to house his tomb and the sculpture. Later he gave up this plan and decided to sell the sculpture to Cosimo I de’ Medici, Grand Duke of Florence. The Crucifix was due to be placed in the private chapel at Palazzo Pitti. However, Cosimo died in 1574, and two years later Francesco I de’ Medici had it sent off as a gift to Philip II of Spain for the Escorial, where it remains today.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 3 minutes):

Guillaume Dufay: Hymn for Easter

The Latin inscription, running around the edge, reads: Franciscus I Francorum Rex (Francis I, King of the French).

Ganymede was a shepherd, the son of Tros, a legendary king of Troy. His outstanding beauty caused Jupiter to fall in love with him. According to Ovid (Met. 10: 152-161) the god, having transformed himself into an eagle, carried the youth off to Olympus where he made him his cup-bearer. The myth, which is given in a slightly different version by Homer, found favour in ancient Greece because it appeared to provide religious sanction for homosexual love. The representation in Renaissance and later art shows Ganymede caught in the embrace of, or on the back of, the eagle which bears him upwards, its wings either spread in flight or enfolding the youth, its claws holding his limbs.

The bronze Ganymede is attributed to Cellini on stylistic grounds, although it is not mentioned in Cellini’s autobiography which ends with the year 1562.

The bronze Ganymede is attributed to Cellini on stylistic grounds, although it is not mentioned in Cellini’s autobiography which ends with the year 1562.

After 1548 Cellini produced three marble statues of mythological subjects (all in Bargello): the Ganymede (1548-50), which was constructed by adding head, arms, feet and a base with an eagle to an antique torso given to Cosimo I by Stefano Colonna (d. 1548); the group of Apollo and Hyacinth; and the Narcissus, which was carved from a block of Greek marble that had been worn away by rainwater.

The chronology of the Apollo and Hyacinth and the Narcissus (both original works) is unclear, but they were produced some time in the period 1548-57. They were undoubtedly inspired by Cellini’s desire to prove himself in Florence as a marble sculptor and to challenge on his own ground the Duke’s favourite sculptor, Bandinelli: the results are not altogether convincing. Even if the small Ganymede (height ca. 1 m) may be considered a successful re-interpretation of Jacopo Sansovino’s Bacchus, the (unfinished) Apollo and Hyacinth and the Narcissus cannot be included among Cellini’s best works. It should, however, be remembered that the two statues were not rediscovered until 1940, having been exposed to the elements in the Boboli Gardens for nearly two centuries.

For carving his Ganymede, Cellini used Greek marble which Cosimo I de’ Medici had ordered specially. Cellini’s composition is an entirely new interpretation of the subject that does not follow Michelangelo’s iconography with the figure astride the eagle.

For carving his Ganymede, Cellini used Greek marble which Cosimo I de’ Medici had ordered specially. Cellini’s composition is an entirely new interpretation of the subject that does not follow Michelangelo’s iconography with the figure astride the eagle.

The gunpowder case with Samson and Delilah was executed by one of the assistants of Benvenuto Cellini.

The ceremonial shield and the matching helmet belonging to King Charles IX of Valois (1550-1574) are among the few surviving examples of fine weaponry from the French Renaissance. They are the work of Pierre Redon, who was goldsmith to the Valois court and valet to the king.

This drawing is related to a series of candlesticks designed for Fran�ois I. In 1540 Fran�ois I commissioned Cellini to make twelve monumental statue-candelabre in silver representing Olympian deities for the royal table. The second figure, Juno was probably executed only in wax, but its image survives in this drawing, which bears an annotation in Cellini’s hand.

This medal was modelled by Cellini to regain the favour of the pope which was lost due to disagreements. The obverse portrays Pope Clement VII, shown in profile and clad in a richly embroidered cope closed with an oval button. The verso bears a female figure impersonating Peace, holding a cornucopia in her left hand and a torch in the right, as she is about to set fire to the arms placed before the temple dedicated to Janis, to which a male figure representing Fury is enchained. The Pope commissioned also and alternative reverse side with Moses striking the rock to quench the thirst of the Jews.

This medal was modelled by Cellini to regain the favour of the pope which was lost due to disagreements. The obverse portrays Pope Clement VII, shown in profile and clad in a richly embroidered cope closed with an oval button. The verso bears a female figure impersonating Peace, holding a cornucopia in her left hand and a torch in the right, as she is about to set fire to the arms placed before the temple dedicated to Janis, to which a male figure representing Fury is enchained. The Pope commissioned also and alternative reverse side with Moses striking the rock to quench the thirst of the Jews.

This gold medal with Leda and the Swan engraved on it was executed by the young Cellini for the Gonfalonier of Rome. It was intended to be worn on a hat.

Recently a chased morion and shield, now kept in Dresden, have been attributed to Cellini and his assistants. Both the tall crested helmet and the oval shield are ceremonial objects embellished with decorative scenes. Apart from being influenced by French examples, these pieces reveal stylistic features typical of Cellini.

The tondo on the helmet depicts the triumph of a figure bearing ceremonial arms. The figure can be identified with Cosimo I.

Recently a chased morion and shield, now kept in Dresden, have been attributed to Cellini and his assistants. Both the tall crested helmet and the oval shield are ceremonial objects embellished with decorative scenes. Apart from being influenced by French examples, these pieces reveal stylistic features typical of Cellini.

The tondo on the helmet depicts the Conversion of St Paul.

After 1548 Cellini produced three marble statues of mythological subjects (all in Bargello): the Ganymede (1548-50), which was constructed by adding head, arms, feet and a base with an eagle to an antique torso given to Cosimo I by Stefano Colonna (d. 1548); the group of Apollo and Hyacinth; and the Narcissus, which was carved from a block of Greek marble that had been worn away by rainwater.

The chronology of the Apollo and Hyacinth and the Narcissus (both original works) is unclear, but they were produced some time in the period 1548-57. They were undoubtedly inspired by Cellini’s desire to prove himself in Florence as a marble sculptor and to challenge on his own ground the Duke’s favourite sculptor, Bandinelli: the results are not altogether convincing. Even if the small Ganymede (height ca. 1 m) may be considered a successful re-interpretation of Jacopo Sansovino’s Bacchus, the (unfinished) Apollo and Hyacinth and the Narcissus cannot be included among Cellini’s best works. It should, however, be remembered that the two statues were not rediscovered until 1940, having been exposed to the elements in the Boboli Gardens for nearly two centuries.

For carving his Ganymede, Cellini used Greek marble which Cosimo I de’ Medici had ordered specially. Since the block was fairly large he managed to get a Narcissus out of it as well. Before transporting to the Bargello, this statue suffered considerable damage in the Boboli Gardens where it was kept in the open for long time.

For carving his Ganymede, Cellini used Greek marble which Cosimo I de’ Medici had ordered specially. Since the block was fairly large he managed to get a Narcissus out of it as well. Before transporting to the Bargello, this statue suffered considerable damage in the Boboli Gardens where it was kept in the open for long time.

This middle-sized bronze figure was derived from a classical prototype that was repeated in various versions by different Renaissance artists.

The first surviving monumental piece by Cellini is this bronze lunette for the Porte Dor�e at Fontainebleau. The relief, the only extant part of his portal decoration, illustrates a variant of the legend of Fontainebleau (a hunting dog discovered a spring and its goddess in the forest) from a lost fresco by Rosso. A nymph reclines like a Classical river god - her arm round the stag with a three-dimensional head - flanked by hunting dogs and boars. Her large form, against a foil of intricate details, demonstrates that articulating the body on a large scale was not Cellini’s forte.

The head of a boar on the left of the composition is derived from the Hellenistic statue of a boar, a copy of which was given by Pope Paul IV to Cosimo I de’ Medici, now kept at the Uffizi Gallery, Florence.

The wax model for the statue of Perseus and the body of Medusa was produced between August and October 1545, and the first payments for the erection of a workshop date from October of that year.

This wax model was the first of the two existing models Cellini executed for his great bronze Perseus.

This bronze model of Perseus was originally conceived as table fountain, presumably with the wine coming out of the Medusa’s severed neck, thanks to a hydraulic mechanism creating a permanent flow.

This bronze model of Perseus was originally conceived as table fountain, presumably with the wine coming out of the Medusa’s severed neck, thanks to a hydraulic mechanism creating a permanent flow.

Cellini’s work in bronze is much more interesting than his work in marble, and this is clearly demonstrated by Perseus with the Head of Medusa. His posthumous fame is largely linked to this statue and to the passionate description of its casting that appears in Vasari’s Vita; this account of its genesis makes it one of the best-documented sculptures of the Italian Renaissance. Unlike his work on a smaller scale, the Perseus, designed to be set up in the Piazza della Signoria between Michelangelo’s David and Donatello’s Judith and Holofernes, was from the outset, and remains, a public work.

The ensemble consists of the figure of Perseus, standing triumphant and holding the head of Medusa aloft; the Gorgon’s decapitated body lies on the base, which is raised on a marble pedestal, a kind of Mannerist reinterpretation of an antique altar. Out of the sides of the pedestal are hollowed four niches in which stand bronze statuettes of Mercury, Danaë, Jupiter and Minerva. There is also a rectangular, inset, bronze relief of Perseus Freeing Andromeda (all these subsiduary works now Florence, Bargello; replaced with copies).

The Perseus was transported to the Piazza in the summer of 1553 and, without having received its finishing touches, was unveiled in April the following year, provoking reactions of great enthusiasm and the writing of sonnets in its praise by Benedetto Varchi and Bronzino, among others.

Cellini’s work in bronze is much more interesting than his work in marble, and this is clearly demonstrated by Perseus with the Head of Medusa. His posthumous fame is largely linked to this statue and to the passionate description of its casting that appears in Vasari’s Vita; this account of its genesis makes it one of the best-documented sculptures of the Italian Renaissance. Unlike his work on a smaller scale, the Perseus, designed to be set up in the Piazza della Signoria between Michelangelo’s David and Donatello’s Judith and Holofernes, was from the outset, and remains, a public work.

The ensemble consists of the figure of Perseus, standing triumphant and holding the head of Medusa aloft; the Gorgon’s decapitated body lies on the base, which is raised on a marble pedestal, a kind of Mannerist reinterpretation of an antique altar. Out of the sides of the pedestal are hollowed four niches in which stand bronze statuettes of Mercury, Danaë, Jupiter and Minerva. There is also a rectangular, inset, bronze relief of Perseus Freeing Andromeda (all these subsiduary works now Florence, Bargello; replaced with copies).

The Perseus was transported to the Piazza in the summer of 1553 and, without having received its finishing touches, was unveiled in April the following year, provoking reactions of great enthusiasm and the writing of sonnets in its praise by Benedetto Varchi and Bronzino, among others.

The sculpture shows Perseus, holding the head of the Medusa which he has cut off and from whose blood the winged horse Pegasus will be born. This masterpiece in bronze was sculpted between 1545 and 1554 for the Loggia dei Lanzi (an open-air gallery) and has stood there ever since. The sculpture can be considered as the reult of a direct competition with Donatello’s earlier sculpture, Judith and Holophernes.

The modelling of the statuettes in bronze on the marble base is so exquisitely done that it suggests the precision of the goldsmith rather than the sculptor’s art.

The sculpture shows Perseus, holding the head of the Medusa which he has cut off and from whose blood the winged horse Pegasus will be born. This masterpiece in bronze was sculpted between 1545 and 1554 for the Loggia dei Lanzi (an open-air gallery) and has stood there ever since. The sculpture can be considered as the reult of a direct competition with Donatello’s earlier sculpture, Judith and Holophernes.

The bronze, which is one of the most celebrated of the Renaissance for its great size, considered unequaled in a single casting up to the Industrial Revolution, has recently undergone restoration. Highly sophisticated gold decoration was revealed, which had been used instead of another design for even more complex damascene ornamentation.

From 1548 Cellini was working on the elaborately carved marble base with its four bronze statuettes and relief. It was originally intended to complete the group with a smaller bronze relief to be placed behind the statue, but this seems never to have got beyond the wax model (untraced).

The photo shows the marble base with bronze statuettes.

The drawing represents a project for a seal of the Accademia del Disegno of Florence, with a personification of Nature.

Cellini’s gold and enamel container for salt and pepper is the most famous example of Mannerist goldsmithery. Cellini tells us that he had five workmen to help him with this and other artistic activities for King Fran�ois I.

The figures of the Times of Day were inspired by Michelangelo’s figures at the Medici Chapel. The salt was offered in a boat placed by the side of Sea, while pepper was served in a covered triumphal arch placed beside Land. Several motifs refer to the king, including the lilies on the cloth below Land, an elephant, and a salamander, Fran�ois I’s personal emblem. The intertwining of the figures and forms is typical of Mannerism, as are the slender proportions of the female figure, the rich materials, and the virtuosity of detail and execution.

Cellini worked in the service of Fran�ois I from 1537 until 1545, and it was under his patronage in Paris that he made his first sculptures. Arguably his most remarkable individual work dates from this time: a salt cellar made of gold, ebony and enamel, now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna. This lavish item of tableware is a sculptural group in miniature. Two figures, a male and a female, recline upon an ornate base. She is the goddess of earth, he is Neptune, god of the sea. Below them are carved personifications of the times of the day and the four winds, and beside them sit two beautifully wrought receptacles: a miniature temple to house earth’s peppercorns, and a boat to carry Neptune’s salt.

Benvenuto Cellini was Goldsmith to Fran�ois I of France from 1537 to 1545. He completed here his first sculpture, the Salt Cellar. He imparted the monumentality of sculpture to a goldsmith’s design. The two langorous somatic types reflect the plethora of stucco work (polished like marble to imitate Roman techniques) produced by Rosso Fiorentino and Francesco Primaticcio at Fontainebleau. The style of the School of Fontainebleau and Italian Maniera is characterized by an elongation and abstraction of the poised rather than moving body, creating an unnatural elegance and sophistication.

The cellar’s iconography reads like a programme for sculpture. The goddess of earth, holding her breast and a cornucopia to signify her nutritive powers, is flanked by a miniature Ionic temple for pepper corns. The god of the sea (Neptune), with trident and shell chariot, is flanked by a boat for salt. The elaborate ebony base is decorated with cartouches of reclining figures. They represent the four times of day alternating with four winds of seasons.

Practical yet capricious, the cellar is a Mannerist masterpiece. It was stolen from the museum in May 2003 and recovered by police in January 2006.

Suggested listening (streaming mp3, 11 minutes):

Hector Berlioz: Benvenuto Cellini, overture

The picture shows the little temple.

The picture shows the female figure on the little temple.

The picture shows the boat to carry Neptune’s salt.

The two recumbent male figures that decorate the wooden base and support the whole composition are modelled on Michelangelo”s two marble statues in the Sagrestia Nuova in San Lorenzo, Florence. The figure shown the picture is based on Michelangelo’s Day.

The two recumbent male figures that decorate the wooden base and support the whole composition are modelled on Michelangelo”s two marble statues in the Sagrestia Nuova in San Lorenzo, Florence. The figure shown the picture is based on Michelangelo’s Dusk.

The picture shows one of the figures of the winds.

Cellini made various experiments to find out how best to use the materials nature had provided him with, including casting a small oval medal with the figure of a greyhound.

The Saluki, also known as the Royal Dog of Egypt and Persian Greyhound, is one of the oldest known breeds of domesticated dog. Historically, Salukis were used by nomadic tribes for hunting.

Cardinal Ippolito d’Este commissioned a stamp from Benvenuto Cellini of which there is a positive version in lead in Lyon. On this seal two scenes are in low relief, one showing St John preaching in the desert, the other St Ambrose on horseback and with a whip in his hand, driving the Aryans away.

The ceremonial shield and the matching helmet belonging to King Charles IX of Valois (1550-1574) are among the few surviving examples of fine weaponry from the French Renaissance. They are the work of Pierre Redon, who was goldsmith to the Valois court and valet to the king.

Recently a chased morion and shield, now kept in Dresden, have been attributed to Cellini and his assistants. Both the tall crested helmet and the oval shield are ceremonial objects embellished with decorative scenes. Apart from being influenced by French examples, these pieces reveal stylistic features typical of Cellini.

In the centre of the shield the head of Medusa can be seen, while the two ovals show the portrayal of Francesco de’ Medici and his lover Bianca Cappello. There are also two circular scenes at the top and bottom, in which respectively the stories of David and Judith are depicted.

At the left side of the shield the oval contains the portrait of Bianca Cappello.

At the right side of the shield the oval contains the portrait of Cosimo I de’ Medici.

Above the head of Medusa the story of David is depicted.

Below the head of Medusa the story of Judith is depicted.

This study is for the seal of the Accademia del Disegno.

This relief with the story of the Rescue of Andromeda contains some references to or borrowings from Renaissance paintings. However, the borrowings are used in an original way.