Page - 756 - in Jacopo Strada and Cultural Patronage at the Imperial Court - The Antique as Innovation, Volume 2

Chapter 14756 Strada’s optimism was misplaced: considered as an investment in real estate his house turned out to be a failure, and he would continue his unsuccessful at- tempts to convert it into ready money for the rest of his life. Rožmberk appears not to have risen to the bait, for in a letter to Hans Jakob Fugger of 1 March of the same year Strada proposed the house as a suitable residence for Prince Ferdinand of Bayern, Duke Albrecht’s second son, who was rumoured to come and spend a few years at the Imperial court; but this offer again yielded no positive response.80 In November 1575 Strada approached Elector August of Saxony. After thanking him for the subvention he had been given for the poly- glot Dictionary, and presenting him with a set of copies of Titian’s portraits of the first twelve Roman Emperors in return, Strada continues with a glowing description of his Kunstkammer and his library. He then presents its key to the Elector, thus symbolically presenting its contents, and begging him to accept it in exchange for a modest annual pension to maintain himself and his children, which would enable him to continue the Dictionary in Saxony. Again, there is no evidence that August seriously considered this proposal.81 An explicit refusal of Strada’s offer, if any, must have been couched in friend- ly terms, if Strada a year later seriously expected August might employ him as an architect. That was the reason why early in September 1576, at the Imperial Diet at Regensburg, Strada presented a request to Maximilian, asking him for letters of recommendation and a passport to Saxony. But in the same request he also asked the Emperor to instruct his son Rudolf, King of the Romans, of Hungary and of Bohemia, to suggest to the Bohemian Estates that they present him with Strada’s library, to serve as a royal library in Prague castle. He more- over begged Maximilian to ask Vilém z Rožmberk to intercede with the Estates to pay Strada a decent sum for it. In the letter he does not mention his printing ambitions as his motive, but refers to the load of debts he had accumulated both in Vienna and in Frankfurt, the latter of which must have been largely due mit samt dem Haus, so wolt ichs Euer Gnaden vil lieber verginnen, unndt auch wolfa- lar geben von Wegen der alten Kundschaft unndt deglige Dienst die mir Euer Gnaden thuen, der kainem Firsten, er sey gleych wer er wel; unndt ichs wol Euer Gnaden vergin- nen mecht, die weyl Euer Gnaden vormals mirs angebotten hatt, wo ichs verkhaufen wolt Eyer Genaden’. 80 Doc. 1574-03-01: ‘… non posso mancare di avisarLa qualmente io mi son risoluto di voler vender tutto il mio studio, con hogni qualunque cosa che n’è dentro; voglio anche vender la mia casa, et perchè già fu detto qui che Sua Excellenza voleva mandar il Ducha Ferdi- nando a star qualche anni apresso Sua Maestà, creddo che non potria trovar allogiamento il più commodo della mia casa, perchè in essa vi sonno xii stufe con tutte le altre com- modità che si puole immaginare’. 81 Doc 1575-09-28; Strada’s connection with the Elector of Saxony discussed in Lietzmann 1997.