Page - 424 - in Jacopo Strada and Cultural Patronage at the Imperial Court - The Antique as Innovation, Volume 1

Chapter 8424 Nevertheless there are various ways in which his claim might be explained. First, we have seen that there is little doubt that the concept of the combined library and Antiquarium was the fruit of an exchange between Strada and Fug- ger, and was in fact Strada’s idea: ‘il disegno et parere del Strada’. Moreover the Antiquarium as built can be considered as a simplified, vernacular adaptation of Strada’s Italianate design. Though of different proportions and lacking the architectural articulation proposed by Strada, several of its features are similar, in particular the huge barrel vault carried on piers framing window niches: a case can be made that Zwitzel’s drawing is an adaptation of Strada’s design to local conditions, competences and taste.59 Strada, however, does not claim responsibility for the design of the whole building, but only for its interior: ‘totius structurae ordine interiori à me delin- eato’. Again it is difficult to interpret what exactly he means by this. He draws particular attention to the stucco ceiling of the Antiquarium, and to the sump- tuous carved panelling of the library—can it be that he provided designs for these? If so, were those for the stucco ceiling ever executed? The ‘Baubespre- chung’ of June 1569 states unequivocally ‘Das Gwelb soll flach sein’, and if a rich stucco ceiling had been executed at the time, it would hardly have been replaced within a few years by the painted grotesque decoration planned by Friedrich Sustris and executed by Antonio Ponzano, Carlo Pallago and others which is still partly in existence.60 The ‘tabulato ex opere sumptuosè secto’ of the library level to which Stra- da refers must have replaced the columns articulating the walls proposed in Zwitzel’s drawing (which may go back to a Strada suggestion)[Fig. 8.42], and which doubtless were left out for economy’s sake. Following Strada one should conclude that the library’s bookcases were incorporated in an ornamental architectural panelling, perhaps similar to the Stübchen of the Fuggerhaus at Donauwörth (cf. above, Ch. 3.4).61 [Figs. 3.43–3.45] It should be noted that Strada also made concrete proposals for the decoration of the ceiling of the principal room of the library. This was probably planned as a wooden com- partmented ceiling similar to that earlier realized in the Vienna Taflstube 59 Certainly Strada may have considered it as such, and it remains possible that the defini- tive design was discussed with and approved by him. 60 The present ceiling decoration is a reconstruction after the severe damage in World War ii; the execution of the ornamental part of the original is attributed to Carlo Pallago and datable ca 1584–1590; but perhaps some of the (modest) stucco elements were already in existence, particular the fruit garlands along the edges of the lunettes? Cf. Diemer/ Diemer 1995, pp. 80 ff. 61 It might be worthwhile to check whether sections of this panelling were reused and pre- served elsewhere in the Residenz, after the library was moved elsewhere, and the space converted into guest apartments.