The Life of Benvenuto Cellini: a Florentine Artist. Containing a Variety of Curious and Interesting Particulars, relative to Painting, Sculpture and Architecture; and the History of his own Time…and Translated from the Original by Thomas Nugent

Engraved frontis. port. x, 512 pp.; 1 p.l., 403, [45] pp. Two vols. 8vo, fine cont. speckled sheep (short tear, without loss, to pp. 99-100 of Vol. I), green & red morocco lettering pieces on spines. London: T. Davies, 1771.

First edition in English of Cellini’s autobiography, “a production of the utmost energy, directness, and racy animation, setting forth one of the most singular careers in all the annals of fine art. His amours and hatreds, his passions and delights, his love of the sumptuous and the exquisite in art, his self-applause and self-assertion, make this one of the most singular and fascinating books in existence. ”–Encyc. Brit.

The translation by Nugent (ca. 1700-72), writer and traveller, enjoyed great success for more than a century and played a crucial part in the reawakening of English interest in the Italian Renaissance.

Fine set.