DOI Page / Citation link:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.32874#0475
CH. xiv] LIFE OF BENVENUTO CELLINI 395
square, because it pleased him much more after that
fashion; and so he discussed it with me a long time
very pleasantly. I did not hesitate to tell him all that
occurred to me in defence of the art (in my work).
Oh! That the Duke could have known that I spoke
the truth; but nevertheless he wanted it made in his own
wayd and it was a long time before anything more was
said to me about it.
^ GUASTI rzY.) points out that there can be no doubt that
Bandinelli with all the arts of the courtier, and relying upon the
favour of the Duchess Eleanora, succeeded in preventing the Duke
from employing Cellini to make the door, the bas-reliefs for the
Choir, and the pulpits. Further than this VASARI bears witness that
Baccio had himself contemplated making in the Choir two pulpits of
marble and bronze. Two Zy/Zz'y of his, the first bearing date April
10th 1549, addressed to Jacopo Guidi, and the other undated, but
also previous to the unveiling of the Zy^yyzzy, addressed to the
Majordomo, Pier Francesco Ricci, allude to this project very
plainly. In the second of these jGVZry he expresses himself thus:
"Your Lordship knows for certain that Benvenuto is much more
fitted to clean up similar histories than to make them himself; as
in truth may be seen from his figures, for, though they are small he
is accustomed to make them full of defects," etc. yV/zT?-
7-zHy rzY., Vol. I, pp. 74-75). From documents we learn that Cellini
had not only commenced the bas-reliefs and the pulpits, but had
even started upon the door. In a ZzYzYzhzz dated July 13th 1363
(<yi RUSCONI and VALERI <?^. yzY., p. 605), we hear of a " ^zzzzzfwZ?/^
to which he again refers in a ZzYAzT- of October 13th in the
same year. Moreover in the of the goods left after his
death we find the entry: "No. 290. Zzzzz yA77v'<3 [TASSi reads
<7z <%<3yy<? yzVzY'W Vz z'zz zzzz ^zzzrzTA? z/zVZZY: zzz<?zYzz, Vz /diYzzzzzz?
ZV<3, rz'77Zu:yA7 z'zz AVYzgza" (ZVZ, p. 641). Regarding the pulpits we
read in a ZYYzYz'<?7z addressed by CELLINI to the Prince Don Francesco
de' Medici dated August 19th 1567, Z5z<Z, p. 609, as follows: "The
Most Illustrious and Most Excellent Lord Duke commanded me
to make more models for fashioning the pulpits in S. Maria del
Fiore; and so I made three little models differing one from another,
square, because it pleased him much more after that
fashion; and so he discussed it with me a long time
very pleasantly. I did not hesitate to tell him all that
occurred to me in defence of the art (in my work).
Oh! That the Duke could have known that I spoke
the truth; but nevertheless he wanted it made in his own
wayd and it was a long time before anything more was
said to me about it.
^ GUASTI rzY.) points out that there can be no doubt that
Bandinelli with all the arts of the courtier, and relying upon the
favour of the Duchess Eleanora, succeeded in preventing the Duke
from employing Cellini to make the door, the bas-reliefs for the
Choir, and the pulpits. Further than this VASARI bears witness that
Baccio had himself contemplated making in the Choir two pulpits of
marble and bronze. Two Zy/Zz'y of his, the first bearing date April
10th 1549, addressed to Jacopo Guidi, and the other undated, but
also previous to the unveiling of the Zy^yyzzy, addressed to the
Majordomo, Pier Francesco Ricci, allude to this project very
plainly. In the second of these jGVZry he expresses himself thus:
"Your Lordship knows for certain that Benvenuto is much more
fitted to clean up similar histories than to make them himself; as
in truth may be seen from his figures, for, though they are small he
is accustomed to make them full of defects," etc. yV/zT?-
7-zHy rzY., Vol. I, pp. 74-75). From documents we learn that Cellini
had not only commenced the bas-reliefs and the pulpits, but had
even started upon the door. In a ZzYzYzhzz dated July 13th 1363
(<yi RUSCONI and VALERI <?^. yzY., p. 605), we hear of a " ^zzzzzfwZ?/^
to which he again refers in a ZzYAzT- of October 13th in the
same year. Moreover in the of the goods left after his
death we find the entry: "No. 290. Zzzzz yA77v'<3 [TASSi reads
<7z <%<3yy<? yzVzY'W Vz z'zz zzzz ^zzzrzTA? z/zVZZY: zzz<?zYzz, Vz /diYzzzzzz?
ZV<3, rz'77Zu:yA7 z'zz AVYzgza" (ZVZ, p. 641). Regarding the pulpits we
read in a ZYYzYz'<?7z addressed by CELLINI to the Prince Don Francesco
de' Medici dated August 19th 1567, Z5z<Z, p. 609, as follows: "The
Most Illustrious and Most Excellent Lord Duke commanded me
to make more models for fashioning the pulpits in S. Maria del
Fiore; and so I made three little models differing one from another,