Page - 426 - in Jacopo Strada and Cultural Patronage at the Imperial Court - The Antique as Innovation, Volume 1

Chapter 8426 Having consistently profiled himself as a learned connoisseur of antique coins, inscriptions and sculpture, it is quite possible that Strada deemed the acquisition and arrangement of this ensemble, the well-ordered contents of the Antiquarium, of greater importance than any contribution he may have made to its architecture. If so, this would correspond closely to the attitude of Fugger’s circle, which he must have largely shared and to which he must have contributed. In this light it is significant that Strada actually was not quite so eager to have his designs realized in Munich as one would expect. The immense en- ergy he expended during his several trips to Venice and Mantua in 1566–1569 in acquiring the Loredan collection and many other works of art—including documentation on contemporary architecture and decoration—stands in sur- prising contrast to his procrastination in actually producing his designs for the Antiquarium, so eagerly awaited by the Duke and Hans Jakob Fugger. When Fugger writes to Stopio in August 1568 that the Duke intended to use Strada’s plans and designs for the Antiquarium, he adds sceptically ‘se però si vorra degnare di venire in qua’, ‘if at least he would deign to come down here’, which implies little confidence in Strada’s eagerness for the job. Fugger may not have been mistaken in this: after he had received the siteplan, it took Strada over four months to prepare his designs, even while probably daily incited by Fugger, who was staying in his house part or all of that time. Even more significant is that Strada did not take the trouble to work out his design in full: had he really wished and hoped to obtain an important and lucrative commission such as this, he might at least have made a finished Figure 8.44 Anonymous drawing of the interior of the Munich Antiquarium, showing the disposition of the statues as planned by Jacopo Strada and the simple decoration, limited to the capitals of the piers between the windows.