Page - 804 - in Jacopo Strada and Cultural Patronage at the Imperial Court - The Antique as Innovation, Volume 2

Chapter 15804 light of the written sources available. He shared the results of his study with other scholars, but also made it available to a more general public, including artists and their patrons. Both the sharp and critical eye and the ready hand he owed to his artistic training were necessary qualifications for the successful exercise of this specialization. Strada shared these qualifications with the three other artist-antiquaries, his near contemporaries, with whom he was associat- ed in an often-quoted passage from Antonio Agustín’s Dialogo delle Medaglie: A[gustín]: Of the Circus Maximus, and other [circuses] that were in Rome I have seen no medals, but only certain drawings of my friend Pirro Ligorio from Naples, a great antiquarian and painter, who without know- ing Latin has written more than forty books of [ancient] medals, and of buildings and of other things. B.: How can that be, that without understanding Latin he could have written well about such things? A.: In the same way as do Humberto Golzio, Enea Vico, Iacopo Strada, and others, so that who reads their books would believe that they have seen and read all the Latin and Greek books that ever were written. They make use of the labour of others and being able to draw well with a brush, they wield a pen equally well.12 It is actually not easy to understand what Agustín exactly meant with this remark. Considering that elsewhere he had spoken with appreciation of Ligo- rio’s and Vico’s efforts, had supported Strada against Lazius, and included all 12 Agustín 1587, pp. 131–132: ‘Del circo Maximo, y de otros que hauia en Roma no he visto medallas, solamente he visto ciertos debuxos de Pyrrho Ligori Napolitano, conocido myo gran antiquario, y pintor, el qual sin saber Latin ha escrito mas de quarenta libros de medallas y edificios, y de otras cosas. В. Como puede ser, que sin saber Latin sера escriuir bien destas cosas? A. Como escriuen Humberto Volcio [sic] y Enea Vico y Iacomo Estrada, y otros que quien lee sus libros pensara que han visto, y leido todos los libros Latinos, y Griegos que hai escritos. Ayudanse del trabajo de otros, y con debuxar bien con el pinzel, hazen otro tanto con la pluma. Pero boluamos à las medallas.’; in the Italian translation by Dionisio Ottaviano Sada, Agustín 1592 (a), pp. 117: ‘Del Circo Massimo, e d’altri che erano in Roma non n’ho vedute medaglie, ma solamente n’ho veduti certi disegni di Pirro Ligori Napoletano mio conoscente grande antiquario, e pittore, il quale senza saper latino ha scritto più di quaranta libri di medaglie, d’edifitij, e d’altre cose. B. Come può essere che senza sapere latino possi scrivere bene di queste cose? A. Come scriue Humberto Goltzio, et Enea Vico, et Iacomo Strada, et altri che chi legge i loro libri penserà che hab- bino veduto, e letto tutti i libri Latini, e Greci che sono scritti, aiutonsi delle fatiche d’altri, e con disegnar bene col pennello fanno altro tanto con la penna. Ma torniamo alle meda- glie<…>’; another translation published in the same year by Ascanio Donangeli (Agustín 1592(b).