Hilde Lotz-Bauer

Cellini

Between 1547 and 1549, Benvenuto Cellini (1500-1571) carved the groups of figures “Apollo with Hyacinth” and “Narcissus”. In 1940, Kriegbaum discovered the lost marble sculptures in the Boboli gardens. Thanks to the support of the then Soprintendente, Giovanni Poggi, the figures were moved to the Bargello, where Hilde Lotz-Bauer photographed them after their restoration. Duke Cosimo I also commissioned Cellini to create a statue of Perseus (Loggia dei Lanzi, 1554). This figure conformed to the new ideal of multiple perspectives, which dictated that the sculpture should be discernable from at least four sides. Below the statue, there was a relief portraying the liberation of Andromeda, embedded in the balustrade of the balcony (today in the Bargello). During the development of the Perseus statue, Cellini recorded his patron in a realistic portrait, a bronze bust which was completed in 1547 (Bargello). The Duke is portrayed in his politically significant role as “Fundator Quietis”. Modelled on ancient lines, the breastplate is adorned with elements of Medusa’s head, which in turn creates a connection with the Perseus group, and with the chain of the Order of the Golden Fleece, several lion masks, and other decorations.