Page - 188 - in Jacopo Strada and Cultural Patronage at the Imperial Court - The Antique as Innovation, Volume 1

©  dirk jacob jansen, ���8  |  doi:�0.��63/9789004359499_006 This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the prevailing cc-by-nc-nd License. Chapter 4 Antiquario Della Sacra Cesarea Maesta: Strada’s Tasks at Court 4.1 Looking for Patronage: Strada’s Arrival at the Imperial Court 4.1.1 Pope, King or Emperor: The Choice of a Patron We know very little about Strada’s activities immediately after his return to Germany, and we do not even know when exactly he returned. He must have visited Venice, possibly on his way up to Mantua, but more likely from there, leaving his family and his effects in the care of his relatives. In Venice he made arrangements for the printing of the two books of which he had acquired the manuscripts from Onofrio Panvinio, the Fasti et triumphi and the Epitome pontificum. By the end of 1555 the planning of this was sufficiently advanced for Strada to make a formal request for a copyright privilege, which Charles v granted him from Brussels on the 8th of January of 1556. Apart from the two books by Panvinio, the privilege also includes the first mention of a volumi- nous illustrated universal dictionary or encyclopaedia in the three classical languages, and of a new, Latin edition of Leandro Alberti’s Descrittione d’Italia, which was likewise intended to be illustrated.1 This request is the first indica- tion of Strada’s ambition to set up as a publisher himself, and particularly as a publisher of books aimed at a scholarly or at least educated audience. What is particular about the books mentioned here, is that all were planned to include printed images to illustrate the text, or to add information that could not easily be conveyed in words alone. This preoccupation with visual aids and with the presentation of visual documentation became one of the Leitmotive of Strada’s career from now on. Though Strada apparently had prospered in Rome, it is clear that to realize such an ambition he needed both material and immaterial backing. Though illustrated books had already proven good sellers, this was not necessarily the case for the scholarly productions Strada had in mind. Moreover, the standard required for documentary illustration of a level acceptable to his intended au- dience obviously demanded the collaboration of outstanding—and therefore 1 Copyright privilege, DOC. 1556-01-08. The titles given there do not correspond exactly with the printed versions of Panvinio’s books. It is not known by what means Strada presented his request.