The Treatises of Benvenuto Cellini on Goldsmithing and Sculpture

Benvenuto Cellini (1500 - 1571)
Translated by Charles Robert Ashbee (1863 - 1943)

Benvenuto Cellini, a 16th century Florentine goldsmith and sculptor, is perhaps better known for his colorful autobiography than his works of art. In his "Trattati", Cellini explains how he made his intricate pieces in gold, such as the salt cellar intended for the table of King Francis I of France, and his monumental sculptures, including the bronze Perseus and Medusa that stands in Florence's Loggia dei Lanzi. Cellini allows himself numerous digressions, so what might in the hands of another author have proved a dry textbook is instead an amusing companion to his "Vita". - Summary by Rob Marland

Genre(s): Art, Design & Architecture

Language: English

Section Chapter Reader Time
Play 00 Preface: An Introductory Account by the translator, C. R. Ashbee Rob Marland
00:17:30
Play 01 The Treatise on Goldsmithing: Introduction Rob Marland
00:20:05
Play 02 The Treatise on Goldsmithing: Chapter I. On the Art of Niello Rob Marland
00:08:33
Play 03 The Treatise on Goldsmithing: Chapter II. On Filigree Work Rob Marland
00:15:59
Play 04 The Treatise on Goldsmithing: Chapter III. Concerning the Art of Enamel Rob Marland
00:21:36
Play 05 The Treatise on Goldsmithing: Chapter IV. Jewellery Rob Marland
00:07:02
Play 06 The Treatise on Goldsmithing: Chapter V. How to Set a Ruby Rob Marland
00:02:39
Play 07 The Treatise on Goldsmithing: Chapter VI. How to Set an Emerald and a Sapphire Rob Marland
00:08:58
Play 08 The Treatise on Goldsmithing: Chapter VII. How to Make Foils for All Sorts of Transparent Jewels Rob Marland
00:08:55
Play 09 The Treatise on Goldsmithing: Chapter VIII. On the Cutting of a Diamond Rob Marland
00:12:24
Play 10 The Treatise on Goldsmithing: Chapter IX. How You Tint a Diamond Rob Marland
00:15:12
Play 11 The Treatise on Goldsmithing: Chapter X. How to Give a Diamond its Reflector Rob Marland
00:04:39
Play 12 The Treatise on Goldsmithing: Chapter XI. About White Rubies and Carbuncles Rob Marland
00:08:15
Play 13 The Treatise on Goldsmithing: Chapter XII. Minuterie Work Rob Marland
00:56:45
Play 14 The Treatise on Goldsmithing: Chapter XIII. On Cardinals' Seals Rob Marland
00:19:10
Play 15 The Treatise on Goldsmithing: Chapter XIV. How to Make Steel Dies for Stamping Coins Rob Marland
00:16:01
Play 16 The Treatise on Goldsmithing: Chapter XV. About Medals Rob Marland
00:09:52
Play 17 The Treatise on Goldsmithing: Chapter XVI. How the Before-Mentioned Medals are Struck Rob Marland
00:04:54
Play 18 The Treatise on Goldsmithing: Chapter XVII. Another Way of Striking Medals with the Screw Rob Marland
00:04:41
Play 19 The Treatise on Goldsmithing: Chapter XVIII. How to Work in Large Ware, in Gold and Silver and Such Like Rob Marland
00:01:18
Play 20 The Treatise on Goldsmithing: Chapter XIX. How to Begin Making a Vase Rob Marland
00:03:28
Play 21 The Treatise on Goldsmithing: Chapter XX. Another and a Better Way of Casting Rob Marland
00:03:01
Play 22 The Treatise on Goldsmithing: Chapter XXI. Yet Another Furnace, Such a One as I Made in the Castle of St. Angelo at the Time of the Sack of Rome Rob Marland
00:02:51
Play 23 The Treatise on Goldsmithing: Chapter XXII. How to Fashion Vessels of Gold and Silver, Likewise Figures and Vases, and All that Pertains to that Branch of the Craft called 'Grosseria' Rob Marland
00:21:08
Play 24 The Treatise on Goldsmithing: Chapter XXIII. Another Method for Gold and Silver in Such Things Rob Marland
00:02:24
Play 25 The Treatise on Goldsmithing: Chapter XXIV. A Third Method for Similar Things Rob Marland
00:01:08
Play 26 The Treatise on Goldsmithing: Chapter XXV. Of Figures Made in Silver and Greater than Life Size Rob Marland
00:15:38
Play 27 The Treatise on Goldsmithing: Chapter XXVI. How to Gild Rob Marland
00:05:14
Play 28 The Treatise on Goldsmithing: Chapter XXVII. A Recipe for Making Colours and Colouring the Gilded Parts Rob Marland
00:02:09
Play 29 The Treatise on Goldsmithing: Chapter XXVIII. A Recipe for Making Another Sort of Gilding Colour Rob Marland
00:02:03
Play 30 The Treatise on Goldsmithing: Chapter XXIX. How to Make a Third Gilding Colour for Very Thick Gilding Rob Marland
00:02:03
Play 31 The Treatise on Goldsmithing: Chapter XXX. How to Make the Wax for Gilding Rob Marland
00:01:32
Play 32 The Treatise on Goldsmithing: Chapter XXXI. How to Make Yet Another Colouring Rob Marland
00:01:14
Play 33 The Treatise on Goldsmithing: Chapter XXXII. The Manner of Applying the Said Colour Rob Marland
00:01:17
Play 34 The Treatise on Goldsmithing: Chapter XXXIII. What You Do When You Wish to Leave Bare the Silver in Certain Places Rob Marland
00:02:38
Play 35 The Treatise on Goldsmithing: Chapter XXXIV. How to Make Two Kinds of Aquafortis, One for Parting, the Other for Engraving and Etching Rob Marland
00:03:21
Play 36 The Treatise on Goldsmithing: Chapter XXXV. How to Make Aquafortis for Parting Rob Marland
00:02:00
Play 37 The Treatise on Goldsmithing: Chapter XXXVI. How to Make Royal Cement Rob Marland
00:03:56
Play 38 The Treatise on Sculpture: Chapter I. On the Art of Casting in Bronze Rob Marland
00:05:22
Play 39 The Treatise on Sculpture: Chapter II. How the Above-Mentioned Clay is Made Rob Marland
00:02:57
Play 40 The Treatise on Sculpture: Chapter III. Another Method of Casting Figures in Bronze of Life Size or a Little Under Rob Marland
00:45:28
Play 41 The Treatise on Sculpture: Chapter IV. How to Construct Furnaces for Casting Bronze, Whether for Statues, Ordnance, or Other Such-Like Things Rob Marland
00:19:32
Play 42 The Treatise on Sculpture: Chapter V. How to Carve Statues or Intaglios, or Other Works, Such as Divers Beasts, in Marble or Other Stones Rob Marland
00:02:27
Play 43 The Treatise on Sculpture: Chapter VI. Of Carrara Marbles Rob Marland
00:13:17
Play 44 The Treatise on Sculpture: Chapter VII. A Disquisition on Colossal Statues Whether Moderate or Very Great Rob Marland
00:05:58
Play 45 The Treatise on Sculpture: Chapter VIII. The Mystery of Making Great Colossi Rob Marland
00:15:50