The opera premiered on March 21, 1890, at the Académie Nationale de Musique in Paris,[1] in costumes designed by Charles Bianchini and sets by Jean-Baptiste Lavastre and Eugène Carpezat (acts I; II, scene 2; and III), Auguste Alfred Rubé and Philippe Chaperon and Marcel Jambon (act II, scene 1).

The opera's libretto largely follows Meurice's play, although it does not include a scene where Cellini runs out of metal while casting a statue.

"[3] The work did not see a revival until 1921, the year of Saint-Saëns' death;[1] however, a section of the ballet music is a popular excerpt for flute players.

This opera concerns the historical figure of 16th-century Italian sculptor Benvenuto Cellini during the time he spent at the court of François I in Fontainebleau and Paris.

Cellini steps aside to let Ascanio pursue Colombe, but when he realises that the jealousy of the two spurned women may prove dangerous to the girl, he hides her in a reliquary he has designed for a local convent, and plans on having her taken there for safety.