The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1912-06-21

Such In q nutshell NiA
4 the character Of 0WtNU10 CttuM
one of history's stsangsst lblacks'laros
Cellini.
Cellini was born at Florence, Italy,
in 1900. His father, q maker OF mu
steal Instruments. wanted bis son 70
follow the same trade. Benvenuto
would not do It, but became gold
worker and engraver. As . mere lad
his exquisitely chased metal orn
aments and sword hilts won him fame
But he could use sword - readily ~
he could engrave one. And when hs
was only fifteen be took part In 20
flsrce as.stYest dnsl that he was, ban
lshed from hts native city.
With his sword at his side, rare g.
MUS In his BRAIN. and very little mon
ey in his pSckst. young Cellini set out
TO bring q fortune from the world. He
drifted from one Italian city to auoth-
or, falling constantly into trouble, lead
ing a grossly dissolute life, fighting
% he went, and incidentally turning
ont miracles OF artistic work.
He reached Rome at length, where
bis talent as an engraver attracted
Pope Clement Wis attention. He a.
% became one of the pope's court mu
sicians and executed, In spare mo
ments. some beautiful seals and me-
dallions. When Rome was attacked by
the Imperial army, Cellini fought
.bravely in the Eternal City's defense.
According to his own improved state
ment he slew, single handed. the
prince OF Orange and the constable
de Bourbon during this siege. (There
is no reason to believe this boast 10
not one Of the countless like that
strew Cellini's story Of his own nfe.)
Back to Florence he went, the news
of his Roman exploits winning him
pardon and a welcome. There. he set.
tied down and devoted himself to en-
craving and sculpture. It was dur
ing this period that he made his cele-
brated Hercules" Atlas Supporting
the Earth" and 1.-The Numidian Lion"
He returned to Rome, after time,
where he promptly slew one man IN
duel and wounded another. Scarcely
had high Influences secured his par
don for these offenses when Cellini
fell into fresh difficulties by killing
goldsmith who CHANGED to offend him.
Then after series OF political
squabbles he found 1t wise to leave
Italy, and journeyed to the court OF
King Francis |. of France. There he
was received into high favor, but pro-
ceeded to get into rather unpleasant
scrape which sent him back to Italy
again. He went to Rome, and was ar.
rested on charge of having stolen
precious jewels from the pope's tiara
Celiini was condemned to death and
was thrown into prison at the Castle OF
Saint Angelo. He managed to escape.
but was soon caught and put back In
his cell The friendship Of the power
full cardinal OF Ferrars won a pardon
for him, and he set forth again upon
his wanderings.
His Quarrelsome nature and the RI
valry of great men made Cellfni's
next few years miserable. Every mans
hand seemed against him, though none
denied his splendid genius. In fact.
CAllini the Genius was forever saving
Cellini the Blackguard from the pun
ishment of his misdeeds.
The art-loving Italians recognized
and revered his work, even while
many Of them loathed his personality.
At times he was in peril Of death; at
other times-as when he helped to
fortify Florence in that city's war with
Siena--or when one of his statues was
unveiled-he became something of a
local hero.
He died, in his native city, December
IL, 1852 Eleven years before his
death. Cellini began to write his auto
biography. This is one OF the most de-
lightful books Of its sort in existence;
not only for the picture It gives OF a
life OF struggle and the era In which
that struggle was waged. but because
OF its portrayal of Cellinis monstrous
vanity, his total lack of truthfulness
and his absence of conscience.
He writes with calm satisfaction
about the killing Of his victims, tells
OF his alleged power to raise demons
before him at will and assures the
reader that he himself was 80 utterly
under divine protection that once or
twice he awoke in the morning to
find his head crowned by glowing
halo.
The man died. BY the world at large |
his character and his misdeed became |
half forgotten. But his work is i'm