Busto di Bindo Altoviti

Benvenuto Cellini

Isabella Stewart-Gardner Museum

Michelangelo praised this bust when he saw it in Bindo's palace in Rome, comparing it favorably to busts made in Ancient Greece and Rome. Since the Renaissance revered the ancient world, this was high praise, especially from one considered the greatest sculptor of the time.

Cellini's bust of Bindo is unique - the only major bronze made for a private patron in the Renaissance. Because of its cost, bronze was usually employed only for portraits of rulers. It is also Cellini's last portrait, last bronze sculpture, and his only securely documented major sculpture outside Europe.

LE OPERE

Perseo Statua Busto di Cosimo I 1549 | Busto | 96 x 0 cm. Ninfa di Fontainebleau 1542 | Bronzo | 409 x 205 cm. Saliera di Francesco I di Francia Tecnica mista | 26 x 0 cm. Busto di Bindo Altoviti 1549 | Busto