Page - 252 - in Jacopo Strada and Cultural Patronage at the Imperial Court - The Antique as Innovation, Volume 1

Chapter 5252 2 Information on the architectural establishment in Vienna has been brought together by Harry Kühnel in his series ‘Forschungsergebnisse zur Geschichte der Wiener Hofburg im 16. Jahrhundert’ published in Anzeiger der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften: Kühnel 1956, 1958, 1959, 1961. Further information in Lietzmann 1987, pp. 105 ff.; Podewils 1991, pp. 156–177 and passim.; Rudolf 1995, pp. 175–179, 218–226 and 228 ff. Of utmost importance are the results of the huge project of the Austrian Academy of Sciences dedicated to the his- tory of architecture, decoration and function of the Vienna Hofburg, presented in the series Veröffentlichungen zur Bau- und Funktionsgeschichte der Wiener Hofburg, those for the period 1521–1705 in the second volume, edited by Herbert Karner (Karner 2014). 3 Von Busch 1973, pp. 19–21. suitable establishments. By the time Strada arrived in Vienna, for this purpose Ferdinand could dispose of an existing architectural infrastructure of build- ers, master-masons, and architects—many of whom traditionally came from Northern Italy—whose practical building expertise doubtless was sufficient for most of the tasks he posed them.2 But few—if any—of these had much knowledge of the theoretical background of the new, classical manner of ar- chitecture that had originated in Florence and Rome, and from the mid-1530s onward was rapidly gaining firm footing outside Italy. This dearth of theoreti- cally trained designers as opposed to practically experienced master-builders was probably quite consciously felt at court: the members of the dynasty them- selves had received thorough humanist educations, and had first-hand experi- ence of High Renaissance architecture from their visits to Mantua, Milan and Genoa. That Ferdinand i himself was not uninterested in architecture is shown by the pleasure pavilion he had constructed for his wife in the precincts of the Hradčany at Prague [Fig. 5.17]. Designed in 1538 by a Milanese architect, Paolo della Stella, this elegant trifle is generally considered to mark the introduction of the Renaissance in Bohemia. Both the Emperor, who owned an important collection of ancient coins, and his two elder sons were interested in antiquarian studies, a discipline that was one of the principal sources for the innovations introduced into architec- ture in the Renaissance. They shared this interest with their counselor Hermes Schallautzer, who as Bausuperintendent was responsible for the actual organ- isation and administrative supervision of the various Imperial commissions in Austria.3 Both Ferdinand’s sons were actively interested in architecture and engineering: when Maximilian acted as viceroy of Spain he had busied him- self with plans to restructure his residence, Valladolid; Archduke Ferdinand had himself designed his extraordinary star-shaped hunting lodge at Prague. When after his father’s death the Archduke moved to Innsbruck he would be the patron of the adaptation of Ambras castle [Fig. 5.1] and the addition of various galleries and a large reception hall, the ‘Spanische Saal’ [Fig. 5.2], which