Page - 454 - in Jacopo Strada and Cultural Patronage at the Imperial Court - The Antique as Innovation, Volume 1

Chapter 9454 By the end of 1580, when the copper for the roof of the eastern gallery was ordered, the Neugebäude was more or less as complete as it ever would be, though some work at the decoration still went forward: the last, third fountain Maximilian had ordered from Alexander Colin a year before he died, was deliv- ered and placed by the artist only in 1584. Visitors in the following years, such as Jacques Bongars, give the impression that the complex was well kept up. When the eleven-year old Czech noble Ladislav Velen z Žerotín visited the gar- den with his tutor in 1590, he saw the coats of arms of the Emperor, the Electors and most important princes of the Empire beautifully figured in colours by the flowers planted in the various compartments, a fact which presupposes knowledgeable and industrious gardeners.31 But such was not to last for long: Rudolf had moved his court to Prague, and slowly lost interest in the unfinished building. The huge size of the Neugebäude—its facade is 185 meters long, as long as that of Schönbrunn— coupled to the fact that, in contrast to its gardens, it had no practical function, made it a liability for the Habsburg Emperors rather than an asset. Neverthe- less it remained standing more or less until the end of the eighteenth cen- tury, when Maria Theresa decided to have it dismantled and transformed into a munitions depot. It was stripped of its decorations, sculpture and even its 31 Quoted above, note 24. Figures 9.34–9.35 The column pairs from the Neugebäude as reused in the Gloriette at Schönbrunn.