Page - 547 - in Jacopo Strada and Cultural Patronage at the Imperial Court - The Antique as Innovation, Volume 2

This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the prevailing cc-by-nc-nd License. ©  dirk jacob jansen, ���9  |  doi:�0.��63/9789004359499_0�3 Chapter 11 The Musaeum: Strada’s Circle 11.1 Strada’s House The second part of this study contains a survey of the activities of Strada as an architect, attempting to show that his expertise cannot have failed to influence projects developed by his patrons and members of their immediate circle. For that reason alone it can be supposed that his presence contributed to the de- velopment of fashion and taste and had some effect on the artistic develop- ments in the Habsburg lands. Such influence was exerted by example: not just by the example of Strada’s own activities as a patron, a collector and a designer, but much more by the examples of the most splendid and authoritative works dating from classical Antiquity, or the fruits of the genius of the most famous contemporary masters, which all were documented in what Strada proudly called his ‘Musaeum’. In Chapter 7 an excursus was dedicated to the splendid house Strada built in Vienna, close to the Imperial residence, the Hofburg, and designed as an object lesson in the newest style. An excursus, because this was a private commis- sion, not a commission from his imperial patrons. There is ample evidence that the resulting Musaeum—the word Strada liked to use as a blanket term for his house, his library and collections, and his workshop—did in fact fulfil a repre- sentative function within the wider orbit of the court. A partial reconstruction of the circle of patrons, friends and acquaintances Strada received there, helps to get some impression of this function. Figures 11.1–11.4 Princely visitors to Strada’s house in Vienna: Alfonso ii d’ Este, Duke of Ferrara; Francesco de’ Medici, prince of Florence; Elector August of Saxony and Johann-Wilhelm, Duke of Saxe-Weimar.