Ill 



CELLINI, BENVENUTO. 



CELLINI, BENVENUTO. 



143 



Comitum Wettinensium,' 4to, 1697. Cellarius published editions of 

 many of the classics, and he also edited 'B. Fabri Sorani Thesaurus 

 Eruditionis Scuolasticso,' with additions. His Academical Dissertations 

 were published at Leipzig, 1712. 



SOLOMON CELLABICS, his son, born about 1676, died in 1700, was a 

 physician, and wrote ' De Origiuibus et Antiquitatibus Medicis,' which 

 some have inserted among his father's works. ANDREAS CKLLARIUS, 

 a relative of Christopher, wrote ' Kegni Poloniae Regiouumque omnium 

 ad id pertinentium novi-siina Descriptio,' 12mo, Amst., 1659. BALT- 

 HAZAR CELLARIUS, a physician, left several medical works. Five or 

 six other German writers named Cellarius (the Latin form of Keller) 

 are mentioned, but none of their worka are of any consequence. 



CELLI'NI, BENVENUTO, was born iu Florence, in the year 1500. 

 The narrative of his career we abridge from the very remarkable auto- 

 biography noticed at the end of the article. His father was desirous 

 that Beuvenuto should be brought up to the profession of music, but 

 he showed o decided a preference for the art of design that it was 

 found impossible to keep him from liis favourite pursuit, and be was 

 eventually permitted to study sculpture : his first essays were made 

 as a chaser and gold-worker. The elder Cellini however removed his 

 sou from the person with whom he was working, and made him apply 

 closely to music till he was 15 years of age, when, without hU father's 

 consent, Benveuuto again established himself with a goldsmith called 

 Murcone. In consequence of being engaged in an affray he was 

 bani-li (1 from Florence, and retired for a time to Siena. He after- 

 wards went to Rome, where he met with great encouragement in his 

 art. He returned however to his native city, and had every prospect 

 of professional success, when, bis ardent temper leading him into a 

 quarrel, in which he severely wounded hia antagonist, be found it 

 necessary to disguise himself as a friar, and make his escape to Rome, 

 It appears that he still cultivated music, for Pope Clement VII. was 

 so well pleased at hearing him play at a concert that he took him into 

 his service in the double capacity of artist and musician. 



The talents of Benvenuto were not confined to the mils of design 

 and music : he distinguished himself in arms, and, according to his 

 own account, was equally able as an engineer. When the Constable 

 Duko of Bourbon laid iiiege to Rome, Cellini acted as a soldier, and he 

 says it was he who killed the duke as he attempted to scale the city 

 walls. He also signalised himself in the defence of the castle of 

 St. Angelo; and the Prince of Orange, CVllini declares, was killed by 

 a ball from a cannon which he pointed. Soon after this he left Rome, 

 and made his peace with the magistrates of Florence. He next pro- 

 ceeded to Mantua, and through the interest of his friend Julio 

 Romano, the painter, was noticed favourably by the duke ; but some 

 indiscretion obliged him hastily to quit Mantua, and he again returned 

 to Florence, where he became intimate with Jlichel Angelo Buona- 

 rotti. At the pope's invitation Benvenuto again went to Rome, where 

 he met with groat encouragement, and, among other distinctions, 

 received the appointment of engraver to the mint. In consequence 

 however of the ill-offices and calumny of one Pompeo of Milan, he lost 

 hi>i place, and was even arretted for refusing to give up a work he was 

 engaged upon. A curious instance of Cellini's weakness occurs at 

 this time, in the fact of his devoting himself to necromancy in the 

 hope of recovering hit mistress, who had withdrawn to Naples. 

 Having quarrelled with one Benedetto, whom he wounded severely, 

 and being denounced moreover as having killed one Tobia, of Milan, 

 the pope istued orders to have him apprehended, and executed on the 

 spot ; but he contrived to make hU escape, and succeeded in reaching 

 Naples, where, as the promises of the necromancer had assured him, 

 he Diet his mistress Angelica. He was kindly received by the viceroy, 

 who wished to keep him in bis service, but finding Limsi If deceived 

 by the fair Angelica, or her mother, Cellini quitted Naples, and, under 

 Cardinal Ippolito de' Medici's protection, returned to Rome and 

 obtained the pope's pardon. In 1534 his great patron Pope Clement 

 VII. died; but Benvenuto's well known talents had now secursd him 

 many liberal and powerful friends. He say, iu his life of himself, 

 that on his return from St. Peter's where he wont to kiss the feet of 

 the dead pontiff, he met Pompeo, who had falsely accused him of the 

 death of Tobia of Milan, and that a quarrel ensued, which ended in 

 his killing bis adversary ; but he adds, exultingly, he was protected 

 from any evil consequences by the interest of his patrons, the Cardinals 

 Comaro and Medici ; and Paul III., the new pope, desiring to have 

 1 iiu in bin service, gave him his pardon, and also reinstated him in 

 hii situation of engraver to the mint. About this time he unfortu- 

 nately excited the enmity of Pier' Luigi, the pope's natural son, who 

 endeavoured to have him assassinated, but Cellini having intelligence 

 of the denign, made his escape to Florence, where the grand duke 

 received him with every mark of kindness, and appointed him master 

 of the mint. The pope however, anxious to have him in Rome, lent 

 to invite him back, and Cellini again ventured to establish himself 

 in that city ; where he remained till he was recommended to try his 

 native air M the only means of recovering from a revere illness. He 

 ! tin ii'-d however to the pope's service, and was appointed to cany 

 the presents which were made by his holiness to the Emperor 

 Charles V., on hU visiting Rome. Cellini eome time after this resolved 

 to visit France, and passing through Padua, visited Cardinal Bembo. 

 On arriving in France he was most graciously received by Francis I., 

 who offered to tako him into his service, but being seized with illness 



he felt a dislike to the country, and returned to Rome by Ferrara, 

 where he was honourably treated by the reigning duke. On arriving 

 at Rome he was accused by his servant of having robbed the castle of 

 St. Angelo, during the war, of immense treasures, which led to his 

 arrest and imprisonment He was much persecuted on this occasion 

 by Pier" Luigi, the pope's son, who influenced his father to continue' 

 Benvenuto in prison ; a resolution in which the pope was confirmed 

 from pique at the French king's intercession iu his favour. At 

 length, with great ingenuity, and after considerable difficulties', he 

 effected his escape, and proceeded to his kind friend, Cardinal Cornaro, 

 who received aiid concealed him for some time ; but his eminenca 

 being afterwards induced to deliver him up to the pope, he was com- 

 mitted a second time to prison, where he was treated with the greatest 

 severity. He acquaints us, that after he had been confined some time 

 he had a vision, which assured him of his speedy liberation. 



At a banquet at which the pope entertained the Cardinal of Ferrarn, 

 on his return from the court of France, his eminence succeeded in pro- 

 curing Cellini's pardon and enlargement, upon which he immediately 

 finished a fine cup for the cardinal, and employed himself in other 

 works as a ' Venus and Cupid,' ' Amphitrite and Tritons,' and other 

 performances. 



He accompanied the cardinal back to Paris, where he met with a 

 most gracious reception from the king, but being" offered by the 

 cardinal what he conceived too low a salary for his work, he left Paris 

 abruptly, intending to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and had even 

 proceeded some way when he was overtaken by those sent in pursuit 

 of him and brought back to Francis I. The king settled a handsome 

 salary upon him, and gave him an order to make various large statues 

 for him ia silver. But he had now the misfortune to offend Madame 

 d'Estampes, the king's favourite, who did all iu her power to disgust 

 him, and to excite the king against him. With this view she encou- 

 raged Primaticcio, who was then at the court of France, and set him 

 up as a rival to Benvenuto. He was also engaged in a law-suit, but 

 finding himself, as he says, much troubled and persecuted by the 

 delays of the law, he had recourse to hia sword, which iutimid ited 

 his adversaries, and put an end to the suit. The favourite still con- 

 tinuing to persecute him, he begged permission of the king to leave 

 France. On his return to Florence, the grand-duke Coamo de' Medici 

 received him with marks of attention, and gave him a Bturlio to 

 exercise his profession in, where he commenced his celebrated 

 'Perseus;' but being offended at some conduct of the grand duke's 

 servants, he went to Venice, where he made the acquaintance of 

 Titian, Sansovino, and other celebrated artists. Returning once more 

 to Florence, he proceeded, though slowly, for want of means, with his 

 ' Perseus,' which at last he finished. 



On the duke's declaring war against the inhabitants of Siena, 

 Benvenuto was employed to repair the fortifications of Florence. 



After his ' Perseus ' was exposed to public view, his success was so 

 great that he undertook in gratitude a pilgrimage to Valombrosa and 

 Camaldoli. He was now employed upon many important works. The 

 contest between him and Bandinelli for a statue in marble of Neptune 

 is well known. Cellini intimates that the chagrin caused by the prefer- 

 ence given to hia design caused the death of the rival sculptor. Not- 

 withstanding this, the duchess, who was Benvenuto's enemy, prevented 

 his having the work, and it was given to Ammanato. He had soon 

 after an opportunity of regaining the duchess's good opinion, by pre- 

 senting to her and the duke a marble crucifix, a work mentioned and 

 highly extolled by Vasari in his ' Life of Cellini.' He was about this 

 time invited by Catharine de' Medici to go to France, to superintend a 

 monument to the memory of her husband, Henri II., but the grand- 

 duke desiring to retain him iu his employment, the queen dowager 

 relinquished her proposal, and Cellini did not again quit Italy. He 

 died in Florence, on the 13th of February 1670, and was buried with 

 great pomp in the church of 1'Annunziata. 



The works of Benvenuto Cellini may be divided into two classes : 

 the first, for which he is most celebrated, comprises his smaller 

 productions in metal, the embossed decorations of shields, cups, 

 salvers, ornamented sword and dagger hilts, clasps, medals, and coins, 

 in which he showed great skill iu composition, and excellence in the 

 details of execution ; the second includes his larger works, aa a 

 sculptor, and a reference to his bronze group of ' Perseus,' with the 

 head of ' Medusa,' in the Piazza del Gran' Duca in Florence, will bo 

 sufficient to illustrate his merit in the higher walk of his nrt. He also 

 executed some fine portraits. 



It might be expected, from the constant employment Cellini had, 

 wherever his uncertain and roving habits induced him to settle even 

 for a short time, that a greater number of his highly-finished works 

 would be found in collections. Their rarity must doubtless be 

 accounted for by tho temptation which the intrinsic value of the 

 materials in which ho usually exorcised his talents offered to tasteless 

 cupidity; and which often no doubt led to the destruction of fine 

 specimens of art for'the sake of the gold or silver in which they were) 

 worked. 



The life of Benvenuto Cellini, written by himself, is, in its class, 

 one of tho most curious and interesting biographies extant. It not 

 only contains very full information respecting the life and professional 

 pursuits of an extraordinary individual, and describes all ranks of 

 persons with whom he was connected during a long and busy career, 



