Archetypal figure of the Renaissance, mythical hero of an opera, some dramas, novels, and poems, Benedetto Celli (1500-1571) is mainly the hero of his own autobiography, one of the most famous ever written. Goldsmith and sculptor, but also painter, poet, flutist, man of war, adventurer, occultist at times, selective in his loves, murderer and knife fighter, imprisoned by the Pope and escapee, favored by King Francis I of France, patron of the Medici family of Florence, Celli is here to introduce us to the many roles in which he shined. Certainly, he is primarily recognized as one of the greatest artists of the Renaissance, with his astonishing talent in goldsmithing and later in sculpture. His "Life," written towards the end of his tumultuous life (1558-1566), recounts his adventures as well as his creative moments at the Medici courts in Florence, with the Popes of Rome, and at the court of the King of France; his feuds and disputes with his patrons, moments of triumph, his escape from the Pope’s prisons, his military achievements, stabbings and knife fights, his love affairs, and his legal troubles over romantic indiscretions. It also contains some of the most luminous descriptions of the anxiety involved in creating art, such as during the casting of the Perseus statue with the head of Medusa. In Celli’s "Life," we see a genius artist, talented, irritable, egotistical, proud, and passionate, spanning the 15th century—the golden, feverish years of the Renaissance—mingling with princes, kings, and popes, as well as the renowned artists of his time, such as Michelangelo, Titian, Bronzino, Pontormo, Sebastian del Piombo, Sienese artists, and Vasari, among others. Celli’s autobiography, since its first publication in the 18th century, has been considered one of the most remarkable texts of the Renaissance. Goethe spent a year of his life translating it into German in 1796.