Famed ceramicist Andrea della Robbia born into a family dynasty of outstanding Italian sculptors in 1435. The other members included his father Marco and his uncle Luca, but Andrea outshone them both. His glazed terra cotta works included many for hospitals, churches, and private palazzos, especially in Florence, his birthplace.

Casting his famous bronze statute of Perseus with Medusa's Head, Renaissance sculptor Benvenuto Cellini lit his own roof on fire but refused to interrupt the casting. As the fire grew even hotter, the top of the furnace blew off. Sending assistants to save the roof, Cellini, discouraged, went to bed. But the house didn't burn, and today the statue stands proudly in Florence.

Augusta Savage's powerful "Harp," most popular art work at the 1939 New York World's Fair.