Benvenuto Cellini

Timeline

1. 1500–1531Rome · LazioCellini was born in Florence; his father Giovanni Cellini was a musician. Around the age of fifteen he was apprenticed to a goldsmith, studying in Florence, Pisa, Bologna, and Rome. He settled in Rome in 1519, producing goldwork and medals for Popes Leo X and Clement VII, and his reputation grew. During the Sack of Rome in 1527, Cellini, according to his autobiography, took part in the defense of Castel Sant'Angelo, witnessed the devastation, killed a man amid the turmoil, and was later pardoned by the pope. He thereafter moved between Rome and Florence, building patronage relationships with the papal court and the Medici family.
2. 1531–1545Fontainebleau · Île-de-FranceThe years 1531 to 1540 were the most turbulent period of Cellini's life. In 1534 he fled Rome for Florence after a killing, later returned to Rome, and in 1537 was again implicated in a homicide and imprisoned in Castel Sant'Angelo. In 1540, at the invitation of King Francis I of France, he went to Fontainebleau, where he was received with great honors and worked at the French court for five years (1540–1545). During this period he completed the gilt-bronze relief 'Nymph of Fontainebleau' and the famous 'Saliera of Francis I' (gold and silver with enamel, 1543). The salt cellar is regarded as the absolute pinnacle of Renaissance goldsmithing and is now in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna.
3. 1545–1571Florence · TuscanyHe returned to Florence in 1545 and was commissioned by Duke Cosimo I de' Medici to create a large bronze sculpture. After nine years of careful casting, 'Perseus with the Head of Medusa' (1554) was unveiled in what is now the Loggia dei Lanzi, becoming a model of Mannerist sculpture, displayed alongside works by Donatello and Michelangelo. In his later years Cellini dictated, and an assistant recorded, his autobiography 'My Life' (c. 1558–1566), describing his artistic pursuits and legendary experiences in a highly individual voice. He died in Florence in 1571.