The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini

“The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini” is the fascinating memoir of one of history’s most talented and memorable figures. Benvenuto Cellini was born in Florence, Italy in 1500 and was a gifted goldsmith, artist, and sculptor who created some of Italy’s most enduring works of art, such as “Perseus with the Head of Medusa”. He is also remembered for his entertaining and scandalous autobiography, begun when he was 58 and completed five years later. Widely considered one of history’s most fascinating memoirs, Cellini describes his amazing career in Renaissance Italy as a celebrated artist with patrons such as popes and members of the wealthy Medici family. He was also a violent and passionate man who had no patience for rivals or critics. He recounts in surprising detail his sword fights and occasional murders, affairs, imprisonments, supernatural visions, and his extravagant lifestyle. “The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini” has endured for centuries as an entertaining and intriguing tale of the outrageous life of an artistic genius and remains an important historical document with its fascinating glimpse of life during Italy’s pivotal Renaissance period. This edition follows the translation of John Addington Symonds.