At a banquet at which the pope entertained the Cardinal of Ferrara, on his return from the court of France, his eminence succeeded in pro curing Cellioi's pardon and enlargement, upon which be immediately finished a fine cup for the cardinal, and employed himself in other works—as a 'Venus and Cupid," Amphitrite and Tritons,' and other performances.
He accompanied the cardinal back to Paris, where he met with a most gracious reception from the king, but offered by the cardinal what he conceived too low a salary for his work, lie left Paris abruptly, intending to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem, and bad even proceeded some way when he was overtaken by those sent in pursuit of him and brought back to Francis I. The king settled a handsome salary upon him, and gave him an order to make various large statues for him in silver. But he had now the misfortune to offend Madame d'Estampee, the king's favourite, who did all in her power to disgust him, aud to excite the king against him. With this view she encou raged Primatiecio, who was then at the oourt of France, and set him up as a rival to Benvenuto. He was also engaged in a law-suit, but fiodiog himself, as he says, much troubled and persecuted by the delays of the law, he bad recourse to his sword, which intimid ited his adversaries, and put an end to the suit. The favourite still con tinuing to persecute him, he begged permission of the king to leave France. On his return to Florence, the grand•duke Croon de' Medici received him with marks of attention, and gave him a studio to exercise his profession in, where he commenced his celebrated 'Perseus ;' but being offended at some conduct of the grand duke's servants, he went to Venice, where he made the acquaiutance of Titian, Sansovino, and other celebrated artists. Returning once more to Florence, lie proceeded, though slowly, for want of means, with his ' Perseus,' which at last he finished.
On the duke's declaring war against the inhabitants of Siena, Benvenuto was employed to repair the fortifications of Florence.
After his 'Perseus' was exposed to public view, his success was so great that he undertook in gratitude a pilgrimage to Valombrosa and Camaldoli. He was now employed upon many important works. The
contest between him and Bandinelli for a statue in marble of Neptune is well known. Cellini intimates that the chagrin caused by the prefer ence given to his design caused the death of the rival sculptor. Not withstanding this, the duchess, who was Benvenuto's enemy, prevented his having the work, and it was given to Ammanato. He had soon after an opportunity of regaining the duchess's good opinion, by pre senting to her and the duke a marble crucifix, a work mentioned and highly extolled by Vaeari in his Life of Cellini.' He was about this time invited by Catharine do Medici to go to France, to superintend a monument to the memory of her husband, Henri IL, but the grand duke desiring to retain him in his employment, the queen dowager relinquished her proposal, and Cellini did not again quit Italy. He died in Florence, on the 13th of February 1570, and was buried with great pomp in the church of ]'Annunziata.
The works of Benvenuto Cellini may be divided into two classes : the first, for which he is most celebrated, comprises his smaller productions in metal, the embossed decorations of shields, cups, salvers, ornamented sword and dagger hilts, clasps, medals, and coins, in which ha showed great skill in composition, and excellence in the details of execution ; the second includes his larger works, as a sculptor, and a reference to his bronze group of Perseus,' with the head of 'Medusa,' in the Piazza del Gran' Duca in Florence, will be sufficient to illustrate his merit in the higher walk of his art. He also executed some fine portraits.
It might be expected, from the constant employment Cellini had, wherever his uncertain and roving habits induced him to settle even for a short time, that a greater number of his highly-finished works would be found in collections. Their rarity roust doubtless be accounted for by the temptation which the intrinsic value of the materials in which he usually exercised his talents offered to tneteless cupidity ; and is birds often no doubt led to the destruction of fine specimens of art sake of the gold or silver in which they weft, worked.