Page - 384 - in Jacopo Strada and Cultural Patronage at the Imperial Court - The Antique as Innovation, Volume 1

Chapter 8384 it was explicitly intended to house two of the Duke’s most precious and pres- tigious possessions: his horses on the ground floor, and his collections on the upper floors. It is generally considered the first building north of the Alps spe- cifically constructed to house a collection, and as such it counts among the earliest museum buildings of Europe [Fig. 8.1].3 The planned collocation of the antique sculpture in this building is known from one document only, which immediately makes clear the important role Strada was assigned in the realization of Duke Albrecht’s plans. It is an aide- memoire ‘concerning Strada’ Fugger made for himself of a consultation of the Duke, Fugger and Strada during the latter’s brief visit to Munich in late Sep- tember 1567.4 Strada and Fugger were to go and see the ‘Saal’ or room assigned for the antiquities together with the responsible architect—this was Wilhelm Egkl—to see how the statues could best be placed along the walls and in the space. The heaviest pieces should be placed on the dividing walls of the floor underneath, while for the rest it was planned to create niches in the walls, but one should not begin doing that before the marble busts that had to be made to support the individual heads were available: otherwise one risked breaking away too much masonry in one instance, and too little in another, and would waste both money and trouble. Likewise it was still to be decided whether the niches should pierce the walls completely (and thus serve as additional source of light), or whether the wall towards the arcade should be closed in its lower section, and have smaller windows close to the ceiling. Fugger’s minutes of this meeting provide a rare snapshot of the sort of verbal consultation that must often have preceded decisions in the field of artistic and cultural patronage. Fugger’s formulation strongly suggests that many of the practical points dis- cussed had been raised by Strada himself, which again demonstrates his basic grasp also of the technical aspects of architecture. The planned display of the Duke’s collection of antique sculpture in the Kunstkammer became impossible once—after long and complicated negotiations—the Duke had acquired the important collection of the Venetian nobleman Andrea Loredan. Strada had been dealing with Loredan on be- half of the Duke since early in 1567, but had not managed to clinch the deal. When in November 1567 Loredan reopened negotiations, Strada was sent to Venice again, and managed to conclude the sale by the end of February of the 3 On the Munich Kunstkammer, see now Diemer/Diemer/Sauerländer 2008, which lists earlier literature. 4 ‘Memoria des strada halb ad 23. september mit m.g.h. geredt, 1567’; it might also be read as ‘memo made on behalf of Strada’, but this seems to be contradicted by its contents: HHStA, L.A. 2, ff. 119r.–121v.; excerpts published in Hartig 1933a, p. 220; Von Busch, p. 290, n. 54; Weski/ Frosien-Leinz 1987, Textband, p. 461, nr. 80.