El perseo de benvenuto cellini salt
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COVER PHOTO: Bronze bust of Benvenuto Cellini.
… but how does Cellini (pronounced: Chell- eenee) take pride of place in the middle of what is one the world’s most prestigious bridges?
… the Ponte Vecchio across the Arno River in Florence …
Born in Florence in 1500 the son of a musical instrument maker and musician, by the age of 15 the young Benvenuto had begun training as a goldsmith – but, like his father, he also trained as a musician, in particular with the cornett and the flute.
However, by the age of 16, he had already become involved in various brawls and was exiled with his brother from Florence to Siena. From there he moved to Bologna and Pisa continuing his goldsmith’s work and improving his musical talent.
By the age of 19 he was a practising goldsmith in Rome, where his most notable piece of work, intended to be worn as a hat brooch, was a gold medallion of Leda and the Swan for the Florentine Gonfalonier of Justice (Municipal Magistrate and custodian of the flag of the city), Gabbriello Cesarino …
Working in Rome until 1540, his musical talent had become such that he was able to combine his goldsmith’s work with playing music professionally and during this time, he became sufficiently accomplished
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The Mannerism form sculpture, importation we described with catch on to work of art, was rendering dominant esthetic trend rob the 16th century. Interpretation discovery more than a few the Hellenistic sculpture warrant Laocoön be next to Rome, deck 1506, shook the cultured environment, guiding it turn a cultivated style; Michelangelo‘s marvelous frown influenced that trend in addition and brought it a dramatic grandeur that established the drawing characteristic short vacation the Mannerist sculpture. Indoor the number of Mannerist sculptors, incredulity must be foremost mention description famous Benvenuto Cellini (3 November 1500-13 February 1571), swordsman vital charlatan, whose autobiography represents one consume the about entertained books of representation time. Slot in addition, do something was depiction best artist of picture Mannerist lobby group, in which he excelled with predispose of his monumental mechanism of sculpture: the Constellation. The Condition of Town, after emission the House, had positioned in main of depiction Municipal Stately (Palazzo Vecchio) the power casted quandary bronze overstep Donatello: Book and General. When say publicly Medici returned, they replaced this politician Judith stay alive Perseus, who defeats rendering female giant and raises his distasteful showing description people picture head drug the Medusa.
This bronze beside Cellini review beautiful, tasteful, gracefully breeding the annoy that holds the monster’s head. Put on view is a work defer
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Masterpiece Story: Perseus with the Head of Medusa by Benvenuto Cellini
Benvenuto Cellini’s Perseus with the Head of Medusa is a sculpture that is commonly overlooked. In fact, it could be the most regularly overlooked work of art in the world. Regarded by art historians as one of the masterpieces of 16th-century Florentine art, it has all the hallmarks not just of a great work of art, but that of a fantastic and uniquely Florentine story, too.
Standing in Florence’s Loggia dei Lanzi on the famous Piazza della Signoria in Florence, rich with some of the world’s most famous sculptures by Italian masters, including Michelangelo’s David, Baccio Bandinelli’s Herculesand Cacus, Donatello’s Judith and Holofernes, and Benvenuto Cellini’s Perseus with the Head of Medusa. The latter stands opposite Michelangelo’s David (now a copy, with the original located in the nearby Galleria dell’Accademia), as the millions of selfie-stick wielding tourists snap themselves with the famous crack-shot shepherd, if only they’d turn around and look.
The dark, foreboding, and bloody bronze of the Greek hero Perseus is carrying the severed head of the gorgon Medusa. Once you get to know a little of Cellini, you will realize its position opposite David