As I had been particularly successful in casting my Medusa, I made a
model of my Perseus in wax, and flattered myself that I should have
the same success in casting the latter in bronze as I had had with the
former. Upon its appearing to such advantage and looking so beautiful
in wax, the duke,[32] whether somebody else put it into his head, or
whether it was a notion of his own, as he came to my house oftener
than usual, once took occasion to say to me, "Benvenuto, this statue
can not be cast in bronze: it is not in the power of your art to
compass it." Hearing him express himself in that manner, I discovered
great vexation, and said, "My lord, I know that your excellency places
very little confidence in me, and that you have but too good an
opinion of those who speak ill of me; or else you do not understand
things of this nature." Scarce did he suffer me to utter these words
when he answered, "I profess to understand them, and I do understand
them perfectly." I replied, "You may understand them as a prince, but
not as an artist; for if you had that skill in these matters which you
think you have, you would believe me on account of that fine bronze
head which I cast for your excellency, and which was sent to the Elbe;
as also for having restored the beautiful figure of Ganymede, a work
that gave me infinite trouble, insomuch that it would have been easier
for me to have made a new one; likewise for having cast the Medusa,
which stands here before your excellency, a performance of immense
difficulty, in which I have done what no other man has done before me
in this most laborious art."...
[Footnote 31: From the "Autobiography," as translated in 1822 by
William Roscoe, the Liverpool banker and man of letters, who wrote a
well-known "Life of Leo X," and of whom Irving, in his "Sketch Book,"
has left a pathetic personal account. The earliest English translation
of Cellini appears to have been made by Thomas Nugent and published in
1771. The latest is by John Addington Symonds.]
[Footnote 32: The reference is to Cosmo dei Medici, then ruler of
Florence.]
The duke scarcely had patience to hear me out, but sometimes turned
one way, sometimes another; and I was quite in despair when I
recollected the circumstances in which I had lived in France. At last
he all of a sudden said, "Tell me, Benvenuto, how is it possible that
this fine head of Medusa, which Perseus holds aloft in his hand,
should ever come out cleverly?" I immediately answered, "It is clear,
my lord, that you are no connoisseur in statuary, as your excellency
boasts yourself; for if you had any skill in the art, you would not be
afraid of that fine head not coming out, but would express your
apprehensions concerning that right foot, which is at such a distance
below." The duke, half-angry, addressing himself to some noblemen who
were with him, said, "I really believe it is a practise of Benvenuto's
to contradict and oppose everything he hears advanced."...
After I had made its coat of earth, covered it well, and bound it
properly with irons, I began by means of a slow fire to draw off the
wax, which melted away by many ventholes; for the more of these are
made, the better the molds are filled; and when I had entirely stript
off the wax, I made a sort of fence around my Perseus, that is, round
the mold above mentioned, of bricks, piling them one upon another, and
leaving several vacuities for the fire to exhale at. I next began
gradually to put on the wood, and kept a constant fire for two days
and two nights, till, the wax being quite off, and the mold well
baked, I began to dig a hole to bury my mold in, and observed all
those fine methods of proceeding that are prescribed by our art. When
I had completely dug my hole, I took my mold, and by means of levers
and strong cables directed it with care, and suspended it a cubit
above the level of the furnace, so that it hung exactly in the middle
of the hole. I then let it gently down to the very bottom of the
furnace, and placed it with all the care and exactness I possibly
could.
After I had finished this part of my task, I began to make a covering
of the very earth I had taken off, and in proportion as I raised the
earth I made vents for it, which are a sort of tubes of baked earth,
generally used for conduits, and other things of a similar nature. As
soon as I saw that I had placed it properly, and that this manner of
covering it, by putting on these small tubes in their proper places,
was likely to answer, as also that my journeymen thoroughly understood
my plan, which was very different from that of all other masters, and
I was sure that I could depend upon them, I turned my thoughts to my
furnace. I had caused it to be filled with several pieces of brass and
bronze, and heaped them upon one another in the manner taught us by
our art, taking particular care to leave a passage for the flames,
that the metal might the sooner assume its color and dissolve into a
fluid. Thus I with great alacrity excited my men to lay on the pine
wood, which, because of the oiliness of the resinous matter that oozes
from the pine-tree, and that my furnace was admirably well made,
burned at such a rate that I was continually obliged to run to and
fro, which greatly fatigued me. I, however, bore the hardship; but, to
add to my misfortune, the shop took fire, and we were all very much
afraid the roof would fall in and crush us. From another quarter, that
is, from the garden, the sky poured in so much rain and wind that it
cooled my furnace.
Thus did I continue to struggle with these cross accidents for several
hours, and exerted myself to such a degree that my constitution, tho
robust, could no longer bear such severe hardship, and I was suddenly
attacked by a most violent intermitting fever: in short, I was so ill
that I found myself under a necessity of lying down upon my bed....
My housekeeper, whose name was Mona Fiora da Castel del Rio, was one
of the most sensible and affectionate women in the world: she rebuked
me for giving way to vain fears, and at the same time attended me with
the greatest kindness and care imaginable; however, seeing me so very
ill, and terrified to such a degree, she could not contain herself,
but shed a flood of tears, which she endeavored to conceal from me.
While we were both in this deep affliction, I perceived a man enter
the room, who in his person appeared to be as crooked and distorted as
great S, and began to express himself in these terms, with a tone of
voice as dismal and melancholy as those who exhort and pray with
persons who are going to be executed: "Alas! poor Benvenuto, your work
is spoiled, and the misfortune admits of no remedy."
No sooner had I heard the words uttered by this messenger of evil but
I cried out so loud that my voice might be heard to the skies, and got
out of bed. I began immediately to dress, and, giving plenty of kicks
and cuffs to the maidservants and the boy as they offered to help me
on with my clothes, I complained bitterly in these terms: "O you
envious and treacherous wretches, this is a piece of villainy
contrived on purpose; but I swear by the living God that I will sift
it to the bottom, and, before I die, give such proofs who I am as
shall not fail to astonish the whole world." Having huddled on my
clothes, I went, with a mind boding evil, to the shop, where I found
all those whom I had left so alert, and in such high spirits,
standing in the utmost confusion and astonishment. I thereupon addrest
them thus: "Listen, all of you, to what I am going to say; and since
you either would not or could not follow the method I pointed out,
obey me now that I am present: my work is before us, and let none of
you offer to oppose or contradict me, for such cases as this require
activity, and not counsel." Hereupon one Alessandro Lastricati had the
assurance to say to me, "Look you, Benvenuto, you have undertaken a
work which our art can not compass, and which is not to be effected by
human power."
Hearing these words, I turned round in such a passion, and seemed so
bent on mischief that both he and all the rest unanimously cried out
to me, "Give your orders, and we will all second you in whatever you
command: we will assist you as long as we have breath in our bodies."
These kind and affectionate words they uttered, as I firmly believe,
in a persuasion that I was on the point of expiring. I went directly
to examine the furnace, and saw all the metal in it concreted. I
thereupon ordered two of the helpers to step over the way to Capretta,
a butcher, for a load of young oak, which had been above a year
drying, and been offered me by Maria Ginevra, wife to the said
Capretta.
Upon his bringing me the first bundles of it, I began to fill the
grate. This sort of oak makes a brisker fire than any other wood
whatever; but the wood of elder-trees and pine-trees is used in
casting artillery, because it makes a mild and gentle fire. As soon as
the concreted metal felt the power of this violent fire, it began to
brighten and glitter. In another quarter I made them hurry the tubes
with all possible expedition, and sent some of them to the roof of the
house, to take care of the fire, which through the great violence of
the wind had acquired new force; and toward the garden I had caused
some tables with pieces of tapestry and old clothes to be placed, in
order to shelter me from the rain. As soon as I had applied the proper
remedy to each evil, I with a loud voice cried out to my men to bestir
themselves and lend a helping hand; so that when they saw that the
concreted metal began to melt again, the whole body obeyed me with
such zeal and alacrity that every man did the work of three.
Then I caused a mass of pewter weighing about sixty pounds to be
thrown upon the metal in the furnace, which with the other helps, as
the brisk wood fire, and stirring it, sometimes with iron, and
sometimes with long poles, soon became completely dissolved. Finding
that, contrary to the opinion of my ignorant assistants, I had
effected what seemed as difficult as to raise the dead, I recovered my
vigor to such a degree that I no longer perceived whether I had any
fever, nor had I the least apprehension of death. Suddenly a loud
noise was heard, and a glittering of fire flashed before our eyes, as
if it had been the darting of a thunderbolt. Upon the appearance of
this extraordinary phenomenon, terror seized on all present, and on
none more than myself. This tremendous noise being over, we began to
stare at each other, and perceived that the cover of the furnace had
burst and flown off, so that the bronze began to run.
I immediately caused the mouths of my mold to be opened; but, finding
that the metal did not run with its usual velocity, and apprehending
that the cause of it was that the fusibility of the metal was injured
by the violence of the fire, I ordered all my dishes and porringers,
which were in number about two hundred, to be placed one by one before
my tubes, and part of them to be thrown into the furnace; upon which
all present perceived that my bronze was completely dissolved, and
that my mold was filling: they now with joy and alacrity assisted and
obeyed me. I, for my part, was sometimes in one place, sometimes in
another, giving my directions and assisting my men, before whom I
offered up this prayer: "O God, I address myself to Thee, who of Thy
divine power didst rise from the dead and ascend in glory to heaven. I
acknowledge in gratitude this mercy that my mold has been filled: I
fall prostrate before Thee, and with my whole heart return thanks to
Thy divine majesty." My prayer being over, I took a plate of meat
which stood upon a little bench, and ate with a great appetite. I then
drank with all my journeymen and assistants, and went joyful and in
good health to bed; for there were still two hours of night; and I
rested as well as if I had been troubled with no manner of disorder.
My good housekeeper, without my having given any orders, had provided
a young capon for my dinner. When I arose, which was not till about
noon, she accosted me in high spirits, and said, merrily, "Is this the
man that thought himself dying? It is my firm belief that the cuffs
and kicks which you gave us last night, when you were quite frantic
and possest, frightened away your fever, which, apprehending lest you
should fall upon it in the same manner, took to flight." So my whole
poor family, having got over such panics and hardships, without delay
procured earthen vessels to supply the place of the pewter dishes and
porringers, and we all dined together very cheerfully: indeed, I do
not remember having ever in my life eaten a meal with greater
satisfaction or with a better appetite.
My mortal enemy, Pier Francesco Ricci, the duke's steward, was very
eager to know how the affair had turned out; so that the two whom I
suspected of being the cause of my metal's concreting in the manner
above related told me that I was not a man, but rather a downright
devil, for I had compassed that which was not in the power of art to
effect; with many other surprizing things which would have been too
much even for the infernal powers. As they greatly exaggerated what
had passed, perhaps, with a view of excusing themselves, the steward
wrote to the duke, who was then at Pisa, an account still more pompous
and more replete with the marvelous than that which the workmen had
given him.
Having left my work to cool during two days after it was cast, I began
gradually to uncover it. I first of all found the Medusa's head, which
had come out admirably by the assistance of the vents, as I had
observed to the duke that the property of fire was to fly upward. I
proceeded to uncover the rest, and found that the other head, I mean
that of Perseus, was likewise come out perfectly well. This occasioned
me still greater surprize, because, as it is seen in the statue, it
is much lower than that of Medusa, the mouth of that figure being
placed over the head and shoulders of Perseus. I found that where the
head of Perseus ends, all the bronze was exhausted which I had in my
furnace. This surprized me very much, that there should not be
anything over and above what is necessary in casting. My astonishment,
indeed, was raised to such a degree that I looked upon it as a miracle
immediately wrought by the Almighty. I went on uncovering it, with
great success, and found every part turn out to admiration, till I
reached the foot of the right leg, which supports the figure, where I
found the heel come out: so, proceeding to examine it, and thinking
that the whole was filled up, in one respect I was glad, in another
sorry, because I had told the duke it would not have that effect.
Continuing, however, to uncover it, I found that not only the toes
were wanting, but part of the foot itself, so that there was almost
one-half deficient. This occasioned me some new trouble; but I was not
displeased at it, because I could thereby convince the duke that I
understood my business thoroughly; and tho there had come out a great
deal more of that foot than I thought there would, the reason was
that, in consequence of the several accidents that had happened, it
was heated much more than it could have been in the regular course of
business--especially as the pewter plates had been thrown into the
furnace, a thing never done before.