Page - 117 - in Jacopo Strada and Cultural Patronage at the Imperial Court - The Antique as Innovation, Volume 1

117In Hans Jakob Fugger’s Service Of course such dedications or gifts were not always tokens of gratitude for immediate financial support. Sometimes the various authors referred to other benefits received from Hans Jakob, who might have used his influence in help- ing them find a job, could have been their host in Augsburg, or had helped them to find or to gain access to some important but rare source necessary for their work. It is to Fugger’s credit that, though his staunch adherence to the established religion is without question, he never let religious difference prevent him from helping those whose intellectual gifts clearly deserved his support: and such tolerance included his day-to-day life and his own house, as is demonstrated by his appointment of the strict Protestant Hieronymus Wolf as his librarian [Fig. 3.12]. But not all authors who presented their works had received such con- crete support from Fugger: sometimes they merely acknowledged the helpful exchange of opinions with the learned colleague, or dedicated the fruit of their labours to Fugger purely for his wide renown as a patron of learning and the fame of his extraordinary library. This library, which for some years was the largest and most complete in Germany, laid the foundations of the Munich Hofbibliothek—now the Bayerische Staatsbibliothek—and of all Fug- ger’s endeavours has doubtless conferred the most lasting benefits on poster- ity. Already as a young student Fugger had used his ample means to acquire many books, such as a new edition of Livy which, when a student at Bourges, he lent to his teacher Alciati.14 By the time he returned from Italy in 1535, his collection had already grown sufficiently to be specifically referred to in one of Viglius’ letters. Fugger’s just pride in his library, which was the fruit of a con- scious and systematic programme of collecting, is expressed in the opening paragraph of the Ehrenspiegel, in which he relates his efforts to the example of Alfonso of Aragon, King of Naples, who had included an opened book in his armorial bearings.15 The great naturalist and bibliographer, Conrad Gesner devotes a passage to Fugger’s patronage: ‘Considerant donques que ie n’ay iamais veu homme à qui la cognoissance des antiquitez ayt esté plus plaisante qu’à vous [<…>] qu’à bien bon droit les gens vertueux et doctes que vous aves esleves et soutenuz par vos bien- faits, et qui sont parvenuz à dignitez et honneurs, à l’adveu de vostre nom, en sont assez suffisante preuve’. 14 Cf. above, note 3. 15 Quoted in Hartig 1917, p. 193: ‘Dieweil dann der hochloblich vnd weiss Alphonsus Kinig zu Arragonia, Neaples vnd Sicilien, sich aller Historien zu lesen, hoch beflissen, auch als ein hertzweiser Kinig ein herrlichen Schatz von allerlay Buechern, mit grosser antzal versamlen lassen, auch sein höchste freud vnd wollust in den Buechern, welche Er der todten Rate genant, gehabt, Ja ein aufgethon Buch in seiner Maiestat Haupt Insigel vnd wappen, für ein Librey gefieret. Vnd aber Got der Allmechtig mir souil Gnaden verlihen, das Ich aus warer angeborner natur vnd liebe, zu aller lobwürdigen guten kunsten aller faculteten, vor andern meines Eerlichenn Geschlechts, ein solche herrliche Bibliothecam