1911 "The Life of Benvenuto Cellini" Green Half Calf Leather Book, Illustrated

This 1911 illustrated edition of The Life of Benvenuto Cellini is a lively and very display-worthy account of one of the Renaissance’s most forceful personalities. Cellini tells his own story with unusual energy, covering his work as a goldsmith and sculptor, his years in Florence and Rome, and his dealings with powerful patrons including popes and kings. It is part autobiography, part artist’s workshop, and part historical drama, which makes it appealing both to readers of art history and to collectors who enjoy books with strong character.

This copy has real shelf presence, bound in half calf with moss-green cloth boards, a re-backed spine with raised bands and gilt decoration, and richly marbled endpapers in green, brown, and gold. The Gertrude Lyford Boyd bookplate adds another layer of interest and gives the volume a personal, traveled history.

[d]Author | Benvenuto Cellini [d]Title | The Life of Benvenuto Cellini [d]Date | 1911 [d]Edition | Early 20th century illustrated edition [d]Binding | Half dark brown calf over moss-green cloth, re-backed spine [d]Features | Five raised bands, gilt spine decoration, marbled endpapers [d]Provenance | Bookplate of Gertrude Lyford Boyd of Ayr, Scotland [d]Dimensions | 8.25 in H x 5.75 in W x 1.5 in D [d]Subject | Renaissance autobiography, sculpture, goldsmithing, Italian history [d]Origin | England [d]Language | English 

[condition] The binding is tight and structurally sound. The re-backed spine has mellowed to a warm brown, consistent with the age of the calf, and shows only trivial scuffs at the extremities. The cloth boards display light edgewear and faint spotting but no tears or damage of note. The gilt tooling on the spine retains its gleam. The marbled endpapers are vibrant with minimal rubbing. Internally the text and plates are clean and bright, free of inscriptions or losses. Light foxing appears occasionally at the fore-edge and in the margins of a few leaves, minor in extent and consistent with a volume of this age. A very good copy overall.