The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini

by Benvenuto Cellini

  His Majesty burst out laughing, while I stood there, dumbfounded. Then the King began to ask me what I was doing, and wanted me to go on working. He said that I would please him far more if I didn’t exhaust myself but instead hired as many men as I needed and made them do the work, since he wanted me to safeguard my health so as to be able to serve him longer. I replied that if I didn’t work myself I would fall ill immediately, and besides this I wouldn’t achieve the results I wanted to achieve for him. Thinking that I was saying this merely to sound impressive and not because it was, in fact, the truth, the King made the Cardinal of Lorraine repeat what he had said. I explained to the Cardinal the reasons for my attitude so frankly and fully that he was thoroughly convinced and advised the King to let me work little or much, just as I liked.

  The King returned to the palace, highly satisfied with my work. He overwhelmed me with favours and it would take too long to describe them all. The very next day, at dinner, he sent for me. The Cardinal of Ferrara was there dining with him. When I arrived the King was still on the second course. I approached his Majesty and he began to talk to me at once, saying that since he had such a beautiful bowl and jug from my hand he wanted a fine salt-cellar233 to keep them company. He added that he would like me to make a design for one, but that he wanted it in a hurry.

  I answered: ‘Your Majesty will see a design much sooner than you ask, because when I was making the bowl I thought that a salt-cellar should be made to match: it’s already done, and if you like I shall show it to you without delay.’

  The King turned in great animation to the noblemen who were with him – the King of Navarre, the Cardinal of Lorraine, and the Cardinal of Ferrara – and said:

  ‘He certainly knows how to win the love and friendship of everyone who knows him.’

  Then he turned to me and said that he would be only too pleased to see the design I had made. I ran the errand very quickly, since I had only to cross the river, that is, the Seine; and I brought back with me a wax model I had already made in Rome at the request of the Cardinal of Ferrara. When I was back in the King’s presence I uncovered the model, and he said in astonishment:

  ‘This is a hundred times more heavenly than I’d ever have thought: what a marvel the man is! He should never stop working.’

  Then, smiling happily, he turned to me and said that it was a work that pleased him very much and that he would like me to make it in gold. The Cardinal of Ferrara who was present stared me in the face and let me know that he had recognized it as being the same model as the one I had made for him in Rome. At this I told him that I had already said that I would do the work for whoever was to have it. The Cardinal, recalling the very words I had used and disturbed at the thought that I was out to get my own back, said to the King:

  ‘Sire, this is a very formidable undertaking and my only misgiving is that I don’t think it will ever be finished: because those clever artists who have such ambitious ideas are only too eager to begin, but don’t give much thought to whether they will ever finish. So if I commissioned such works I’d want to know when I was to have them.’

  The King’s reply to this was that whoever racked his brains about finishing a piece of work would never begin anything: and he said this in a way that implied that such work was not for faint-hearted men.

  Then I added: ‘All those princes who encourage their servants in the way that his Majesty does by his words and actions succeed in making every great enterprise easy; seeing that God has given me such a splendid patron I hope to finish many great and splendid works for him.’

  ‘And I believe you will,’ said the King, as he rose from the table. He called me into his own room and asked me how much gold I would need for the salt-cellar. I told him, a thousand crowns. He immediately called his treasurer, the Viscount of Orbec, and ordered him to hand me over without delay a thousand old gold crowns of good weight.

  I left his Majesty and sent word to the two notaries who had obtained for me the silver for the Jupiter and a number of other things. Then I crossed the Seine and collected a very small basket that my cousin the nun had given me when I passed through Florence (and good luck had it that I took this basket and not a bag) thinking that I could get the business over while it was still daylight, for it was still quite early, and not wanting to disturb my workmen or take a servant with me. When I arrived at the treasurer’s house he already had the money in front of him, and he was selecting the coins according to the King’s instructions. All the same it seemed to me that that thieving treasurer was very cunningly putting off the time when he would have to pay me the money; and I received none of it till three hours after nightfall. I didn’t fail to take precautions and I sent for some of my workmen to come and escort me, since it was a very important transaction.

  When they failed to arrive I asked the messenger if he had delivered my message. A certain thievish servant said that he had and that they had said they were unable to come, but that he would be quite willing to carry the money for me. I replied that I would carry the money myself. Meanwhile the contract was completed and everything done. The money was counted out, and I put it all in the little basket and thrust my arm through the two handles. As I had to force my arm through the coins were well secured and I carried them more comfortably than if they had been in a bag. I was well armed, with a mail coat and gauntlets and carrying a sword and dagger, and I sped on my way as fast as I could.

  Just then I caught sight of some servants whispering among themselves, and they hurriedly left the house too and set off as if to go in the opposite direction to me. I walked along swiftly, crossed the Pont au Change, and came out by the river wall which led to my home in the Nesle. Then I drew near the monastery of the Augustinians: this was a very dangerous spot, it was only five hundred yards from where I lived but, as the inhabited part of the castle was as far again inside, if I had called out my voice would not have been heard. But when I saw four men advancing towards me with drawn swords in a flash I made up my mind what to do. I quickly covered the basket with my cloak and, seeing that they were closing in fast, I cried out:

  ‘All you can win from a soldier is his cloak and his sword: and I hope you’ll be the losers before I surrender mine.’

  I began fighting fiercely, and every now and then I opened my arms so that if they had been incited to this attack by those servants who had seen me take the money they’d have reason to see that I had no such sum with me. The fight was soon over; they gave way, step by step, saying in their own language:

  ‘This Italian’s a brave fellow, and he’s certainly not the one we were after – or if he is he has nothing on him.’

  I shouted at them in Italian; and I kept on thrusting and cutting, coming near more than once to dealing a deadly blow. Seeing how wonderfully skilful I was they decided that I was a soldier rather than anything else: and little by little they drew away from me, keeping close together and muttering quietly in their own language. I myself kept saying, very gently, that anyone who was after my weapons and my cloak wouldn’t find them easy to take. I began to quicken my pace, and they slowly followed on after me: I grew more alarmed at this, thinking that if there were another ambush waiting for me I’d be attacked on two sides. So when I was about a hundred yards from where I lived I took to my heels and started bellowing: ‘To arms! To arms! Outside! Outside! I’m being murdered.’

  Four young men armed with pikes ran out immediately: and when they were for pursuing my attackers – who could still be seen – I said in a very loud voice:

  ‘Those four cowards couldn’t plunder one man by himself of the thousand gold crowns that are breaking my arm. So let’s go and put the money away, and then with my big two-handed sword I’ll come along with you wherever you like.’ We went to put the money away: those young men of mine began sympathizing with me over the terrible danger I had been in, and then went on to reproach me.

  ‘You rely too much on yourself,’ they said, ‘and one of these days you’ll give us cause to re
gret it.’

  I told them what I thought; they came back with more; and my adversaries fled. Then, in very high spirits, we all had supper, laughing at the roads made by fortune – as much for good as for ill. When fortune misses the target it’s as if nothing had happened. Certainly, people say: ‘You’ll learn your lesson for next time.’ But in fact next time is always different and never the same as expected.

  First thing next morning I started work on the great salt-cellar; I pressed on very diligently with this and with my other work. By this time I had hired a large number of workmen to help either with sculpturing or with the goldsmith work. They included Frenchmen, Italians, and Germans, and sometimes I employed very many indeed, if I found them good enough. I changed them from day to day, picked out the ones who knew most, and urged them to work hard. They kept hard at it in their anxiety to keep up with me; but I had a better constitution than they did, and finding the strain too great for them they thought they could restore their strength by copious drinking and eating. Some of the Germans who were more expert than the others could not stand the strain of keeping up to my standard, and it killed them.

  While I was making progress with the silver statue of Jupiter, reckoning that I had plenty of silver to spare, I put my hand without telling the King to making a large vase with two handles, about a cubit and a half tall.234 I also felt inclined to cast in bronze the large model I had made for the silver statue of Jupiter. It was the sort of work I had never tackled before, and after starting on this new undertaking I asked the advice of some of those fine old Parisian craftsmen. I told them all the methods employed in Italy for that sort of work. They said that they had never used such methods, but that if I let them do it their own way they would return it to me, finished and cast as beautiful and clean as the clay model itself.

  I decided to strike a bargain, giving the work over to them and promising to pay several crowns over and above what they had asked. They started the work; and then, when I saw they were not going the right way about it, I hurriedly began work on a head of Julius Caesar, a bust in armour and much larger than life-size. I copied it from a little model I had brought with me from Rome that was reproduced from a splendid antique. I also began work on another head of the same size,235 but this time I used as my model a very beautiful girl236 whom I kept to satisfy my sexual appetites. I gave it the name of Fontainebleau, after the place the King had chosen for his own delight and recreation.

  After a beautiful little furnace had been made for melting the bronze and after our moulds had been prepared and baked – the Jupiter by them, and my two heads by me – I said to them:

  ‘I don’t think you’re going to succeed with the Jupiter, since you haven’t left enough air-holes below for the air to circulate: so you’re wasting your time.’

  They answered that if their work was a failure they would return me all the money I had given them on account, and refund me all I had lost on expenses; but that I had better look out, because those fine heads of mine that I wanted to cast by the Italian method would never come to anything. While we were arguing the treasurers and other gentlemen who used to come and visit me on the King’s orders were present; and they reported everything that was said and done to the King. The two old fellows who were to cast the Jupiter put it off for a while, because they said they would like to look after the two moulds for my heads, seeing that the method I was using couldn’t possibly succeed and it was a pity to spoil such fine works. When the King heard about this he commented that they should spend their time learning and not try to teach their master.

  With a great deal of laughter they put their work into the furnace; and then, impassively, neither laughing nor losing my temper (though I felt like doing so) I placed my two moulds either side of the Jupiter. When the metal was perfectly melted, with tremendous satisfaction we let it pour in: it filled the mould of the Jupiter very nicely, and at the same time filled the moulds for my two heads. So they began rejoicing, and I was content: I was pleased to have been wrong about their work, and they seemed very pleased that they had been wrong about mine. Then, following the French custom, very boisterously they ordered something to eat and drink; I was only too happy to have a lavish meal served to them. Then they asked me for the money they were to receive and the bonus I had promised them.

  At this I said: ‘You’ve been laughing at what I’m afraid may make you weep: I thought that much more metal went into your mould than should have done. So I don’t intend to give you any more money than you’ve had till tomorrow morning.’

  The poor fellows began to think over what I had said to them, and then went off home without a word. Next morning, very, very gently, they began to empty the furnace. They could not uncover their own large mould till they had taken out my two heads; they took them out – perfectly formed – and then stood them up in a prominent position. Then they began to dig out the Jupiter; they had only dug down two cubits when they and the four workmen let out such a yell that I heard it from where I was. In the belief that they were shouting with joy I began running towards them: I happened to be in my bedroom, more than five hundred yards away. When I came up I found them looking desolate and aghast – just like one depicts those who guarded Christ’s tomb. I glanced at my two heads and saw that they were all right, and so my regret was mixed with pleasure. They began excusing themselves, saying that it was just their bad luck.

  In reply to this I said: ‘You’ve had very good luck; it’s your lack of knowledge that’s been bad. If I’d seen you put the block into the mould one word would have been enough for me to teach you how to make sure of a perfect result. Then I would have added to my reputation, and you would have made a good profit. I shall keep my reputation, anyhow, but you’ll come out of this with neither reputation nor profit. So another time learn how to work, and not how to laugh at others.’

  They they began to beg me to help them, saying that I was in the right but that if I refused to assist them, seeing that they had to cover their great expenses as well as paying for the loss, they and their families would have to go begging. I answered that if the King’s treasurers wanted to make them pay what they owed I promised to let them have it out of my own pocket, since I had seen how they had done everything for the best, with what knowledge they had. All this bolstered up to an incredible extent my good reputation with the King’s treasurers and ministers. The King received word of everything that had taken place, and – with his unequalled generosity – he gave order that all was to be done as I said.

  About this time that wonderfully courageous man Piero Strozzi237 arrived on the scene: and when he reminded the King about his naturalization papers, his Majesty at once ordered them to be drawn up.

  ‘And along with them,’ he added, ‘make out papers for mon ami Benvenuto; take them to where he lives straight away; and give them to him from me, without any charge.’

  The great Piero Strozzi’s papers cost him many hundreds of ducats. Mine were brought to me by one of the King’s chief secretaries, called Messer Antonio Massone.238 He handed me the papers and at the same time paid me some magnificent compliments on behalf of the King.

  ‘His Majesty makes you a present of these,’ he said, ‘so that you can serve him more enthusiastically; these are your naturalization papers.’

  Then he told me how, after a long time and as a great favour, they had been granted to Piero Strozzi at his own request, but that the King had sent me mine as a present, on his own initiative. No one in France, he went on, had ever been done such a favour before. When I heard this I very enthusiastically expressed my gratitude to the King; then I begged the secretary to be gracious enough to let me know what these naturalization papers meant. He was an accomplished, well-mannered man, and he spoke very good Italian: at first he began laughing, then he recovered his dignity and told me in my own language exactly what the papers meant, and how they were one of the greatest marks of respect that could be shown to a foreigner.

  ‘This is more of an honou
r,’ he said, ‘than being made a Venetian noble.’

  After he had left me and returned to the King, he told his Majesty all that had happened; the King laughed for a while and then said:

  ‘And now I want him to know what was the reason for my sending him the papers. Go and make him lord of the castle of the little Nesle, where he’s living and which is my own patrimony. He’ll understand what that means much more easily than he understood what the papers meant.’

  This present was brought me by a messenger, and I wanted to give him a tip; but he would accept nothing, saying that such were his Majesty’s orders. When I returned to Italy I carried with me the naturalization papers along with the title-deeds of the castle: wherever I go, and no matter where I end my life, I am determined to keep them always.239

  Now I shall carry on with the story of my life. I had on hand the work already mentioned – that is, the silver Jupiter, on which a start had been made, the gold salt-cellar, the great silver vase, and the two bronze heads – and I worked away at them intently. I also made preparations to have the base for the Jupiter cast; this was a very elaborate work in bronze, intricately ornamented. As one of the ornaments I sculptured in low relief a scene showing the rape of Ganymede, and on the other side I depicted Leda and the Swan. I cast it in bronze and it came out beautifully. I made a similar base to take the statue of Juno, which I was waiting to begin when the King gave me enough silver for it. By working diligently I had already put together the silver statue of Jupiter as well as the gold salt-cellar; I had the vase well in hand, and the two bronze heads were already finished. I had also completed a few little objects for the Cardinal of Ferrara; and in addition I had made a little silver vase, very richly ornamented, to give to Madame d’Étampes. I had done a good deal of work for a fair number of Italian noblemen, for Signor Piero Strozzi, for the Count of Anguillara, for the Count of Pitigliano, for the Count of Mirandola, and for many others.240