The Book Ask Cellini
Some artists battle within.
Others battle the world.
Cellini did both.

The
Auto­bio­graphy
of Benvenuto
Cellini

Art  ·  Ego  ·  Ambition  ·  Genius

The Book

The autobiography
that inspired the world

Salvador Dalí — inspired by Benvenuto Cellini's autobiography
Salvador Dalí
Called Cellini “the greatest autobiography ever written” and kept a copy in his studio.
Alexandre Dumas — inspired by Benvenuto Cellini's life and adventures
Alexandre Dumas
Drew directly from Cellini’s life for his novel — the escapes, the drama, the audacity.
Mark Twain — referenced Cellini's autobiography in Huckleberry Finn
Mark Twain
Tom Sawyer cites Cellini’s autobiography as inspiration in Huckleberry Finn (1884).
Ian Fleming — cited Cellini's swagger as a template for James Bond
Ian Fleming
Cited Cellini’s swagger as a template for Bond’s character.
Rolex Cellini watch collection — named after Benvenuto Cellini, master craftsman
Rolex
Named their Cellini watch collection after him — master craftsman, obsessive perfectionist.
Agatha Christie — referenced Cellini's goldwork in her mystery novels
Agatha Christie
Referenced Cellini in her mysteries — his goldwork as the object of obsession.
★ Amazon Bestseller · Renaissance  Top 20 USA, UK · Sculpture  Top 5 USA, UK
Previous translations
  • Victorian English
  • Polished away Cellini’s rawness
The Autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini — modern English translation, 2025 edition
This translation
  • Modern English
  • Kept Cellini’s raw voice intact
  • Features 50+ artworks
Many esteemed writers and translators have translated Cellini’s autobiography — each in their own style.
Some in Victorian English. Some overly polished, stripping away Cellini’s personality.
This edition, published 2025, is written in modern English and keeps his voice raw.
The translation

Old English vs This Edition

Same story. Different centuries. A modern voice for a Renaissance life.

Victorian translation, 1888
"All men of whatsoever quality they be, who have done anything of excellence, or which may properly resemble excellence, ought, if they are persons of truth and honesty, to describe their life with their own hand; but they ought not to attempt so fine an enterprise till they have passed the age of forty."
Symonds translation
This edition, 2025
"All men, no matter who they are, if they have done anything of excellence, should write about their lives with their own hand if they are honest and truthful. However, they should not try to do this until they are over forty years old."
Modern English edition
Victorian translation, 1888
"It is found written in chronicles made by our ancestors of Florence, men of old time and of credibility, even as Giovanni Villani writes, that the city of Florence was evidently built in imitation of the fair city of Rome; and certain remnants of the Colosseum and the Baths can yet be traced."
Symonds translation
This edition, 2025
"It is written in chronicles made by our ancestors of Florence, by credible men of old times, such as Giovanni Villani, that Florence was built to mirror the beautiful city of Rome. There is evidence of this because you can still see traces of the Colosseum and the Baths near Santa Croce."
Modern English edition
Victorian translation, 1888
"The Pope would fain have had him in his service, but he replied that he would not take service with anybody in the world, and that whoso had need of him might come to seek him out."
Symonds translation
This edition, 2025
"The Pope wanted him to stay in his service, but this man said he didn't want to be in anyone's service and that whoever needed him should seek him out."
Modern English edition
Victorian translation, 1888
"Upon this I gave myself up without doubt as dead, and in my sorrow had recourse with pious heart to holy prayers."
Symonds translation
This edition, 2025
"I thought I was surely dead and, in my sorrow, turned to holy prayers with a pious heart."
Modern English edition
Victorian translation, 1888
"On the other hand, if I persisted in my course, I was giving the game up to my enemies, and furnishing them with opportunities to do me mischief. By returning I might put a stop to their intrigues; and those in whom I placed the most confidence were just the men who played most traitorously."
Symonds translation
This edition, 2025
"But if I continued, I would be giving my enemies the opportunity to harm me. By returning quickly, I would block their plans against me. Those in whom I had placed the most trust were the ones deceiving me."
Modern English edition
1 / 5
Cellini on His Life
“I have had to struggle with poverty, imprisonment, enemies, and exile — and always I have prevailed.”

Benvenuto Cellini  ·  The Autobiography

Who Was Cellini

Florence’s most
dangerous artist

Argued with kings and popes -- and wonHe once talked Pope Clement VII out of executing him on the spot.
Killed a man, received a papal pardonPope Paul III issued the pardon personally. It wasn't the last time.
Kept his temper with critics and rivalsHe threw a mud-wrapped stone at a man during a street argument. Onlookers thought he was dead.
Escaped from Castel Sant'Angelo prisonBy rope, at night, breaking both legs in the fall. He still got away.
Respected authority without questionHe questioned every authority he ever encountered. Loudly.
Praised directly by MichelangeloWho called him the greatest goldsmith he had ever seen.
Spoke his mind to anyone, anywhereIncluding to kings mid-sentence. Especially to kings mid-sentence.
Had enemies in every court he enteredHe considered this a sign he was doing something right.
Wrote his own autobiography after Vasari left him out of Lives of the ArtistsVasari had ignored him entirely in the 1550 edition. So Cellini wrote his own.
Argued with kings and popes -- and wonHe once talked Pope Clement VII out of executing him on the spot.
Killed a man, received a papal pardonPope Paul III issued the pardon personally. It wasn't the last time.
Kept his temper with critics and rivalsHe threw a mud-wrapped stone at a man during a street argument. Onlookers thought he was dead.
Escaped from Castel Sant'Angelo prisonBy rope, at night, breaking both legs in the fall. He still got away.
Respected authority without questionHe questioned every authority he ever encountered. Loudly.
Praised directly by MichelangeloWho called him the greatest goldsmith he had ever seen.
Spoke his mind to anyone, anywhereIncluding to kings mid-sentence. Especially to kings mid-sentence.
Had enemies in every court he enteredHe considered this a sign he was doing something right.
Wrote his own autobiography after Vasari left him out of Lives of the ArtistsVasari had ignored him entirely in the 1550 edition. So Cellini wrote his own.

Despite all of this, he created masterpieces that still stand today.

✦ Ask Cellini Anything

Talk to Cellini
Ask him about his life.

B
Benvenuto Cellini Online & ready to answer
Try asking
B
You wish to speak with me? Then speak. I did not live such a life to remain silent about it.
His Impact

A man who never left
any room quietly

10,000,000+
Visited his Perseus
Piazza della Signoria, Florence
9,000,000+
Visited the Louvre
Nymph of Fontainebleau, Paris — annually
—
Have visited this website so far
He started somewhere too.
His Masterworks

Cellini's finest works

Perseus with the Head of Medusa — bronze sculpture by Benvenuto Cellini, Florence 1554
Perseus with the Head of Medusa
Bronze · 1554 · Florence
Saltcellar of Francis I — gold and enamel masterpiece by Benvenuto Cellini, 1543
Saltcellar of Francis I
Gold & Enamel · 1543 · Vienna
Bust of Cosimo I de Medici — bronze portrait by Benvenuto Cellini, Florence 1548
Bust of Cosimo I de’ Medici
Bronze · 1548 · Florence
Nymph of Fontainebleau — bronze relief by Benvenuto Cellini, Paris 1543
Nymph of Fontainebleau
Bronze Relief · 1543 · Paris
On His Art
“When the bronze flowed into the mould and I saw that the figure was taking form, I wept — for it was the most beautiful thing I had ever done.”

On the casting of Perseus  ·  1545

Get the Book

Few artists lived as fiercely as Cellini.
His autobiography, now in modern English.

Available now on Amazon. The complete autobiography of Benvenuto Cellini in modern English — raw, unfiltered, and exactly as he intended.

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celliniautobiography.com

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