蜜芽传媒

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.

Having built a career as a goldsmith, Cellini turns soldier during one of the Renaissance鈥檚 most terrible moments: the Sack of Rome in 1527. As he defends the city, he melts down the pope鈥檚 jewellery as the fighting reaches its climax.

Reader Marco Gambino

Producer Mark Rickards

A Whistledown Scotland Production