The Life of Benvenuto Cellini Volume 1 Author:John Addington Symonds, Royal Cortissoz, Benvenuto Cellini Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III. Piero Torrigiano. an Italian statuary, comes to Florence in quest of young artists for the King of England.—The Author gets acquainted with him, ... more »but refuses to leave Italy.—He improves in drawing by studying the designs of Michael Angelo and Leonardo da Vinci.—In order to make himself master of his art, he repairs to Rome, accompanied by a young artist named Tasso.—He meets with great encouragement in that capital, asl.well as with a variety of adventures.—At the [expiration of two years he returns to Florence, where he cultivates his art with great success.—His fellow artists grow ;ealous of his abilities.—Quarrel between him and Gerard Guasconti.—Being prosecuted for beating and wounding his antagonist, he disguises himself in a friar's habit, and makes his escape to Rome. About this time there came a sculptor to Florence, named Piero Torrigiano, who was just arrived from England, where he had resided several years; and as he was an intimate friend of my master's, he every day came to see him. This artist having seen my drawings, and my workmanship, said to me thus: "lam come to Florence to invite as many young persons as I can to England, and, having a great work in hand, 1 should be glad of the assistance of my fellow citizens of Florence: I perceive that your manner of working, and your designs, are rather those of a sculptor than a goldsmith ; now 1 have considerable undertakings in bronze, so that if you will go with me to England, I will at once make your fortune." This Torrigiano was a handsome man, but of consummate assurance, having rather the air of a bravo than of a sculptor; above all, his strange gestures, and his sonorous voice, with a manner of knitting his brows enough to frighten everyman that saw him, gave him a most tremendous appearance; an...« less