Benvenuto Cellini

Paper Summary:

The paper details the life and times of the Renaissance in Florence in discussing the book "The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini", which reveals a great deal about the author and even more about the world he lived in. The paper relates that the work is not entirely complimentary to it's subject, which gives it credence, but scholars still question many of the accounts in the book. The paper notes that Cellini's notoriety increased greatly after his death because of this book, which was written as a journal over the years from 1558 to 1562. The paper comments that, in spite of the fact that this work is a journal, scholars believe that it was written to be read by others, which again raises the question of how true Cellini's version of events were.

From the Paper:

"Cellini lived during the height of the Renaissance and showed in some of his work stylas and ideas that would prevail more in the Mannerist period to come. Indeed, much sixteenth-century sculpture could be called Mannerist, and Benvenuto Cellini is one sculptor who falls within this category. His marble Narcissus shows the handsome youth who scorned the love of others condemned to love only himself, and he sits beside a pool of water and twists his body to gaze longingly at his own reflection: The subject matter is inspired, structured in the Mannerist style with thinly veiled eroticism and at the same time demonstrating a virtuosity in sculptural line that combines the complex and the graceful. "

Sample of Sources Used:

• Cellini, Benevenuto. The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini. Project Gutenberg Etext 4028 (May 2003).

More papers on Benvenuto Cellini:

• Essay # 42063 : "Benvenuto Cellini"
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