Page - 858 - in Jacopo Strada and Cultural Patronage at the Imperial Court - The Antique as Innovation, Volume 2

Chapter 16858 marketing, and show that he really thought the new ideas, forms and images he proposed and worked with could, and should benefit his contemporaries, and enrich their mental and artistic world. Such an ambition to be useful to the world was often expressed in texts published at the time, and Strada was no exception: it was repeatedly referred to both in the prefaces to the books he published and in his correspondence. Thus in the preface to his Epitome thesauri antiquitatum he castigated those contemporary numismatist who ‘obstinately keep their labours hidden in their studies, without wishing to share them with anyone’, and presented them his book in order ‘to show the way to imitate it, or to surpass it, with the help of God, their talent (“nature”), and their learning (“doctrine”)’.40 The very first line of Strada’s dedication to Duke Albrecht v of his edition of Caesar’s Commentar- ies referred to its public utility. He then added a two-page paean of the Duke’s library and collections, not forgetting Fugger’s contribution, and ended com- paring the Duke with Caesar as Pater Patriae, implying the utility to his people of the Duke’s new institutions.41 In his introduction to Serlio’s Settimo Libro he likewise stressed its use to the public in general, and to the practitioners of building in particular: Now examining this book, I judged it to be the most beautiful work, and the most useful that he [Serlio] ever made, and I wished to benefit the world with it, because of the facility he maintains in his writing, and teaching the world how to build. For even though there are many and dif- ferent methods [to build], he nevertheless teaches these (whatever their difficulty) with such skill, facility, and good order, that any man, however mediocre in his art, is made competent [in it] and can easily serve him- self of these [methods]. He motivated his adding a Latin translation by a similar wish, not only to make the work accessible, but also to have its precepts applied in ‘all the kingdoms and provinces of the world’.42 The copyright privileges of Strada’s works and 40 Strada 1553(b), fol. Aa 4r.: ‘Car par ce qu’ilz detiennent obstinément tels labeurs cachez en leur maisons sans en vouloir faire part à personne, ie leur presente cest Epitome, pour montrer le chemin, pour le suivre, ou surpasser aydant Dieu, nature et doctrine’. 41 ‘Qui in lucem ad utilitatem publicam opus aliquod suum sunt edituri …’; Caesar 1575, fol. *2r.; fols. *3v.–5r.; partial German translation in Hartig 1917, pp. 286 ff. 42 Serlio 1575, fol. a iii–v.: ‘Hor’ esaminando bene questo libro giudicai che fosse la più bella fatica, e la più utile, ch’egli havesse già mai fatta, et io curioso di giovar al mondo con essa, per la facilità ch’egli tiene nel suo scrivere, et insegnare il mondo di fabricare, le quali se ben sono intante e varie forme (quantunque sono difficili) egli non dimeno le insegna con