Page - 781 - in Jacopo Strada and Cultural Patronage at the Imperial Court - The Antique as Innovation, Volume 2

781Ambitions as a Publisher 14.9 The Rupture with Ottavio But it was not only Maximilian’s death which frustrated Strada’s ambitions. Another factor was the rupture, probably about a year later, with his son Ot- tavio, who, as we have seen, was instrumental both in the actual production of the books, and in the collecting of the subventions Strada obtained from at least some of his patrons. It is not clear when exactly this rupture occurred: it can be assumed that it was preceded by a period of increasing irritation, which doubtless was mutual. Relations were still harmonious when Strada conveyed greetings of both Paolo and Ottavio to Jacopo Dani in June 1576, and informs him of their careers in October 1577. Ottavio is not mentioned, however, in the letter to Plantin—when he would have been the obvious go- between, having earlier travelled to the Southern Netherlands on behalf of his father’s projects—and in Strada’s letter to Dani of 1581 no mention is made of him either.121 By 1584, when Strada drew up his last will, the rupture was definitive and irreversible: Strada almost entirely disinherited his second son, in favour of his elder son Paolo and his young, legitimized son Tobia.122 The reasons for this take up a huge portion of the document: Strada charges Ottavio with no less than sixteen alleged offenses and crimes, accusations which—even if only half of them were true—indeed provide ample justification for Strada’s deci- sion. They range from simple embezzlements, through theft and fraud, to per- sonal aggressions which suggest a pathological, almost oedipal hatred of his father: Ottavio’s rape and attempted murder of his father’s mistress certainly is extremely shocking.123 When Archduke Ernest had presented Strada with an excellent palfrey, Ottavio had wilfully ruined the horse and wounded and insulted Strada’s faithful servant; and when his father once in Prague had up- braided him for his wayward behaviour, he had became so angry that he began tearing up a book belonging to the Emperor, in which he was prevented only 121 Docs. 1576-06-16: ‘Pauolo et Ottavio, mei figliuoli, salutano la Signoria Vostra per cento- milia volte’; 1577-10-04(c): ‘Et alla Signoria Vostra io con li mei figliuoli salutiamo Vostra Signoria per sempre. Ottavio sta con Sua Maestà Cesarea et Pauolo con l’Arciducha Her- nest, si che tutti doi sono ancora servidori della Signoria Vostra, et io insieme’; 1581-11-02: ‘Et qui fo fine, salutando la Signoria Vostra con tutto il cuore, alla quali quanto posso io con Pauolo mio figliuolo di cuore vi dessideriamo hogni fellicità et longa vita’. Of course by this time Ottavio probably resided in Prague with Rudolf ii, but even then it might have been expected that Strada would have informed his old Florentine friend of his son’s career move. 122 Doc.1584-07-01, transcribed in Appendix B. 123 Ibidem, point 12.