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Golden Years

Episode 7 of 10

Cellini arrives in Fontainebleau to work for Francis I. He makes his first masterpiece, a golden salt cellar. But his repeated sexual indiscretions soon catch up with him.

Jerry Brotton is Professor of Renaissance Studies at Queen Mary University of London and wants us to take a fresh look at a period in European history usually associated with beauty, harmony and art. His approach contains a health warning: the Renaissance was a lot darker and violent than many of us have imagined. Retracing the life of Benvenuto Cellini through his shocking autobiography, Jerry reveals how this was a time of conflict as well as beauty, creativity as well as tyranny.

Cellini arrives in Fontainebleau to work for the French king, Francis I. He makes his first masterpiece, a golden salt cellar. But his repeated sexual indiscretions soon catch up with him.

Reader Marco Gambino

Producer Mark Rickards

A Whistledown Scotland Production

Available now

14 minutes

Last on

Tue 1 Aug 2023 22:00

Broadcasts

  • Tue 30 Mar 2021 22:45
  • Tue 1 Aug 2023 22:00

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