Page - 211 - in Jacopo Strada and Cultural Patronage at the Imperial Court - The Antique as Innovation, Volume 1

211Tasks at the Imperial Court it had a symbolic significance that equalled or transcended its material value. In 1579 Strada’s pension—in any case never more than a quite modest portion of his total income—had not been paid for five years, and after Maximilian’s death the new Emperor had hardly made use of his services. But Strada still felt obliged to resign formally before offering his services to Rudolf’s brother, the Archduke Ernest.41 Yet also during Maximilian’s lifetime Strada enjoyed great liberty of action and was never required to limit the exercise of his talents to the Emperor’s own commissions. On the contrary, he was encouraged to spend much time and energy on his own projects, and was able to work extensively for other patrons, such as Duke Albrecht v of Bavaria. It is doubtful whether this freedom from constraint may be interpreted as symptomatic for the process of emancipa- tion of the artist as postulated in Martin Warnke’s study of the court artist of the Ancien régime.42 Like so many other court-artists Strada was after all not only an artist, but also and at the same time a merchant, a man of letters, a nobleman and courtier. Strada’s case suggests that a patronage relationship of this type was based on mutual and complementary interests, and consisted in an even exchange of diverse, but equivalent advantages. Strada drew his modest pension and enjoyed the prestige that his function as Imperial Anti- quary procured him. Though this prestige is difficult to asses, Strada certainly valued it highly, so it must have been of use to him in the realization of his ambitious projects. It is reasonable to suppose that, in return, the Emperor expected to profit from Strada’s erudition and artistic proficiency and from the added distinction that his presence—and that of the small but lively cultural meeting-place centred on his house and exquisite Musaeum—conferred on the principal residence of the Austrian branch of the Habsburg dynasty.43 The remainder of this book will attempt to give some substance to this assumption. From the relatively detailed review of the material and immaterial advan- tages Strada obtained from his patrons, the Emperors Ferdinand i, Maximilian ii and Rudolf ii, we know exactly what salary he was paid, and when and even from what sources he obtained it. The combined sum of the two annuities he received shows that he ranked somewhere in the middle of the court hierarchy, a level which included both the lower ranking courtiers—noblemen holding court-appointments as gentleman of the Imperial Chamber or Stable ‘with two or three horses’—as well as professionals, both noblemen and commoners, ful- filling specifically defined functions: doctors, chaplains and artists attending 41 DOC. 1579-05-00. 42 Warnke 1985. 43 The preceding paragraphs are adapted from Jansen 1992, pp. 201–202.