Page - 490 - in Jacopo Strada and Cultural Patronage at the Imperial Court - The Antique as Innovation, Volume 1

Chapter 9490 such as Palladio, servant of a mere city republic.89 Though this corollary is not convincing, the theorem itself is quite plausible, and it is borne out by the ex- amples that in general have been suggested as possible sources for the design of the Neugebäude, almost without exception residences built by popes, kings, princes and cardinals.90 Many of these were famous projects, the repute of which influenced patrons all over Europe. I will limit my discussion to those examples where the correspondence with aspects of the Neugebäude appear to me more than merely generic or functional. 9.10.1 Contemporary Roman Villas: Villa d’Este The terraces system of the lower garden of the Neugebäude, which has already been compared to the ancient sanctuary at Palestrina, can also be compared with the various contemporary projects derived from it: the Belvedere court- yard, the Orti Farnesiani on the slope of the Palatine hill, and the Villa d’Este at Tivoli, all of which could be known in Vienna through prints and by repute even if they would not have been documented in Strada’s collection. As with Praeneste, if the system served as an inspiration at all, it was not imitated ex- actly, since the connecting external ramps and staircases, crucial element in all of these designs, are lacking at the Neugebäude. The drawing of the gar- dens of Pirro Ligorio’s Villa d’Este, made for Maximilian ii by Etienne du Pérac, and the accompanying description arrived too late to influence this part of the design.91 On the other hand Du Pérac’s drawing possibly played a role in the concep- tion of the central pavilion of the Neugebäude: the long promenade creating a transverse axis immediately below the casino at the Villa d’Este, which could double as a tiltyard, just possibly influenced the design of the oblong courtyard 89 Lietzmann, p. 194: ‘Es liegt auf der Hand daß sich der Kaiser an den Residenze seiner Stand- esgenossen orientierte, und nicht etwa an den Villen venezianischer Patrizierfamilien’. 90 Rieger 1951: Palazzo del Principe Doria, Fassolo, Genoa; Feuchtmüller 1976: Villa Medici in Fiesole, Villa Medici at Poggio a Caiano; Villa Madama and Villa Giulia in Rome, Casino Farnese in Caprarola; Lietzmann 1987: Palazzo del Te, Mantua, garden facade; Giuliano da Sangallo, palace design for Ferrante i, king of Napels; Giuliano da Maiano, Villa di Poggio Reale for Alfonso ii, duke of Calabrië, 1487–1490; Palazzo Farnese, Belvedere courtyard, Villa Madama, Orti Farnesiani, all in Rome; Villa Farnese at Caprarola, Villa d’Este at Tivo- li, Villa Lante at Bagnaia, Villa Imperiale at Pesaro; Zimmermann 1987, Hortus Palatinus, Heidelberg; Caprarola; Château de Bury; Chambord; Château-Neuf, Saint-Germain- en-Laye; Lippmann 2006–2007, p. 144, cites many examples of regal country retreats, in- cluding a.o. Chambord, Madrid, Nonesuch as well as many correspondences with projects dating after the Neugebäude. 91 Above, Ch. 9.5. But doubtless Strada possessed some information on the complex and may have visited it during his visit to Rome in 1566.