The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini

Rarely do we have a book that describes the lives of people in the Middle Ages. Mostly, we read about royalty and aristocracy. What’s refreshing about Benvenuto Cellini’s autobiography is that we get to know about all kinds of people — his royal patrons, of course, but also peasants, artists and artisans, lawyers, soldiers and doctors. Cellini is full of himself, but he has a keen eye and a fine memory, and a healthy interest in socializing. The picture of the society we get through his eyes is full of betrayal, violence and venality — people constantly cheating one another and picking fights — but also a time of great innovation and artistic invention. We also learn the pitfalls of being an artist dependent on the whims of his patrons who don’t pay him, praises him to the skies one day and imprisons him the next. Reading this together with Vasari’s book makes for a fine dive into the Renaissance.

I had read this many years ago and recommended it highly to my brother-in-law in Argentina during a recent visit. He had recently been to Italy and was overwhelmed with the art works he saw. What makes this book so compelling is that it is one of the very first autobiographies ever written, and by a person working as an artist contemporary to DaVinci, Michaelangelo, and so many of the most famous artists of the period. It isn't the best written book in the world, and Cellini is not hesitant about singing his own praises, but it is so interesting to have a window on that very important period for art in history. Another very interesting book, written by a contemporary of the greats was written by a lesser artist of the period named Giorgio Vasari ,is called "Lives of the Most Excellent Painters, Sculptors and Architects".

Not the least fascinating aspect of this great autobiography is how incredibly picaresque it is, and swashbuckling. Just one sword fight after another, among other things. Even though it's fifty years earlier, this is recognizably the same Europe Don Quixote wanders through in Spain, and the same pre-modern world that Moll Flanders and Tom Jones later inhabit. If you think things seem too wild to believe in early novels, just read Cellini's life and you'll see that that's just the way things used to be. Steven Pinsker shocked people recently with a book arguing that history has actually gotten LESS violent over the centuries--a claim people obsessed with the 20thC's Great War, WWII, and the Holocaust, just for starters, found rather hard to credit. But if you read Cellini, you'll discover that modern violence is nothing compared to the nonstop violence and constant wars of the pre-modern world. The brutality, follies, and near madness of human life seem to have been with us always. Anyway, a great book.

JULY 1999 ADVERTISED WITH PHOTO OF "THE SALTCELLAR" BUT GOT 1998 EDITION WITHOUT PHOTO OF SALTCELLAR ANYWHERE IN THE BOOK.

This book covers the eventful life of a passionate craftsman who lived through major events of the Renaissance. In Florence, Rome, and Paris, Cellini managed to gravitate to the most powerful political and artistic personalities, but his relationships with them were always bumpy. Cellini had an artist's temperament and more - his passionate temper and sense of righteousness, combined with the unscrupulous nature of many he encountered, caused constant friction and turmoil which make the book a nonstop and occasionally violent thriller. The book's one disappointment for those interested in history is the lack of extensive description of the places where he worked and travelled. It's centered on Cellini, his relationships and activities, and his craft. He does however have a great description of the defense of Rome in 1527, in which he was firing artillery from the top of Castel St.-Angelo. George Bull rates five stars for a great translation which captures the spirit of the original, its passion, wit, sarcasm, bitterness and insight. Given the work was written with Florentine colloquialisms, this is an achievement. Highly recommended.

Cellini's portraits of the popes' and Italian princes' petty avarice is revealing. They paid him for his work with promises. He is then viciously ill-treated and imprisoned. His despair during this is potently articulated. The callous and indifferent power of the pope and warden was absolute. The venal treatment from other tradesmen is also well described. His description of pouring Perseus is gripping: he was short on bronze and had to add pewter; despite pouring during a rainstorm his roof caught afire. However the book is marred by Cellini's religiosity. He sees through the individual popes, but not the institution. He is not reflective, and attributes to god, and not to his genius, his survival in an an arbitrary and capricious world. John Addington Symonds' footnotes are helpful in revealing Cellini's sexual life; which, of course, was not in the Autobiography itself.

I'm surprised at how much I like this book. It's quite fascinating. However, I found it too long. I listened to about 4 hours on Audible, and they said I had 13 hours more to go! I gave up. I may go back to it at some point. Cellini is certainly a talented and narcissistic man, and his autobiography makes for good reading/listening.

The cover shows the Cellini's salt seller, which we saw before it was stolen briefly from the museum in Vienna.As one of the best sculptors of the Renaissance, Cellini will describe how he cast the Perseus bronze statue in a blinding rainstorm and also how to escape from a famous prison.

First of all, it is worth bearing in mind that the English translation of this edition is by John Addington Symonds. He was a Victorian, and in his text he clearly sets out to reproduce what he imagines is Cellini's authentic Renaissance voice. That is to say, he writes in a kind of 'antique' English, with a distinct Italian flavour. I hadn't realised that – and it irritated me greatly. (I think it might be worth paying more and going for a modern one.)Cellini was an exceptionally talented man, skilled in many artistic disciplines and in music. Sadly, only a small proportion of his output has survived, since large chunks of pure silver, or gold + precious stones, are obvious candidates for melting down when times are hard. (This book was screaming out for pictures, but...)His Perseus, cast in one in bronze for Cosimo 1 de' Medici, is the equal of the David of Donatello (cast in pieces and re-assembled) that it is displayed alongside, and some would say also of the David by Michelangelo (in marble) in the Accademia. That it would also been seen by contemporary eyes as a symbol of Medici power did not trouble him.As a man, he was hugely arrogant, with a colossal ego, capricious and prone to lightning changes of mind and direction, brutal, murderous (4 recorded deaths) and a rapist of women and men. A very poor judge of character, he repeatedly entrusted property and belongings to untrustworthy underlings, with predictably bad results.His own worst enemy , he was incapable of tact and diplomacy, even when they were obviously called for. At various times he mortally offended the Pope, more than one Duke of Florence, and the King of France, not to mention various senior court officials and/or important mistresses who were influential with these rulers. Then he was shocked and angered when they ceased to support him and his work.He believed that his misfortunes – and there were many – stemmed from the machinations of the goddess Fortuna, or the inconstancy of Princes. His pen pictures of a swathe of early 16th century rulers do make one wonder, though, if these men weren't mostly blundering through the renaissance rather than leading it, their opinions swayed by the last man/mistress they spoke to.

Those people who are interested in the Italian Renaissance will find themselves completely immersed in this book. It has references to the people and events of the time, and even Cellini's interest at points in the Hermetic philosophy. In addition it is one of the clearest descriptions of the creative artistic process and temperament that I have ever seen.

Fascinating story albeit tending to be bitty in places, understandable when one reads about how Cellini lived and under which circumstances the book was written/dictated. Some of the exploits he claims are obviously a total flight of ego. Well worth reading for someone interested in the way of life at the time.

Great to read the passages that refer to his various well-known works. No modesty here! The fascinating times he lived through and his own turblent life are described in a vivid,dramatic style.

Having read this book many years ago as a youngster, when I found it exciting and a fantastic adventure, I thought I'd re-read it on Kindle.I have visited many places that Cellini himself visited, which adds to the enjoyment of the book.The book is extremely well-written and difficult to put down.