Page - 262 - in Jacopo Strada and Cultural Patronage at the Imperial Court - The Antique as Innovation, Volume 1

Chapter 5262 16 Holzschuh-Hofer 2010; Holzschuh-Hofer 2014(b), pp. 530–540; ibid. pp. 537–539 and ill. vi.48. 17 Holzschuh-Hofer / Beseler 2010; Holzschuh-Hofer 2014(b), pp. 540–544. 18 As in Brabant, the choice for a blue-coloured type of stone for the carved elements of the Hofburg may have been determined more by its being the most suitable for the purpose locally available, than by any wish to remind the Austrians of a dynastic expression in a type of architecture in the Netherlands, which they had never seen and cannot have been aware of. The contrast of white stucco walls and carefully carved architectural elements in pietra serena that is typical for many key monuments of Florentine Renaissance architec- ture shows that this colour scheme is not exclusive for the Burgundian heritage; it could even be argued that it is a more obvious source for Ferdinand’s aesthetic choice. the Hofburg in Vienna, and the Royal Castle at Pressburg (cf. below. Ch. 5.6.2) [below, Figs. 5.79–05.80].16 Holzschuh-Hofer sees a similar stress on the Bur- gundian aspect of Habsburg heritage in the original colour scheme of the Hof- burg, contrasting blue hard stone elements, especially columns, portals and window-surrounds, with a brilliant white undecorated stucco wall surface.17 Though she demonstrates clearly that this was an explicit choice of the pa- tron, her interpretation that this colour scheme is a conscious reflection of the Burgundian-Brabantian heritage is less convincing.18 But she is certainly right when she points out that the relative simplicity of this scheme represents a fundamental element of Ferdinand’s taste: discussing the staircase built 1544– 1545 for the Queen’s apartments in the North East wing of the Hofburg, she stresses that: In the modesty of the architecture <…> once again a subtle, unassum- ing, noble elegance manifests itself, of a high level of quality. The ex- ample of this portal and arch makes clear that there is no contradiction Figures 5.17–5.18 The Summer Palace built by Ferdinand i for his consort Queen Anna in the gardens of Prague Castle, compared to the Palazzo del Principe at Fassolo, Genoa; built by Perino del Vaga for Andrea Doria from 1530 onward.