Benvenuto Cellini was one of the greatest goldsmiths of the Florentine Renaissance. The artist was initially inclined toward the study music, but he was attracted by gold smith’s art and learned the basics of right it in his hometown. In 1527 under the siege of Rome he commanded the defense of the Sant’Angelo Castle, then in 1540 he went to France at the court of Francis I. The Nymph of Fontainebleau and the famous Golden Salt Francis I belong to this period. This sculpture made of ebony, gold and enamel is considered the masterpiece of the artist as well as the only known work of goldsmiths.

In 1545 he moved to Florence by Cosimo I and he received the commission of Perseus. Placed under the Loggia dei Lanzi in Piazza della Signoria, the sculpture represents Perseus (son of Zeus) standing over the decapitated body of Medusa. In his left hand holding the creature’s head and a sword in his left. This statue has a deep political meaning, as it was commissioned by the Grand Duke to symbolize the power of the Grand Duchy (Perseus) and the cut from Republican experiences (Medusa).

At the famous Ponte Vecchio, one of the most beautiful florentine symbols, there is his bust made by Raffaello Romanelli and inaugurated on May 26, 1901. It was placed in the middle of bidge to celebrate the fourth centenary of the birth of Cellini.
Curiosity: the railings of the monument was long used by lovers to hang padlock as symbol of an unbreakable liason of love. The Cityhall Administration, to end the defacement of the statue, has established a fine of € 50,00 to those found to hang pod locks on the railing in order to preserve the monument in his honor.