Page - 859 - in Jacopo Strada and Cultural Patronage at the Imperial Court - The Antique as Innovation, Volume 2

859Agent of Change: Imperial Antiquary and Architect his requests for subventions for these likewise stress their public utility: thus in 1573 he requested a privilege from Maximilian ii for his seven books of inscrip- tions, which he wished to print ‘to the common utility of everyone’. In 1577, after Maximilian ii’ death had ‘spoilt all his efforts’, he begged Francesco i to revive his labours, hoping the Grand Duke were willing to ‘provide this benefit to the world’.43 Of course these phrases were commonplaces, but they were not for that rea- son less sincere: Strada appears to have practiced as he preached. The best in- dication for that is the huge collection of visual documentation he built up in those fields that most interested him. Partly this collection consisted of the ma- terial he gathered on his travels, or could acquire by fortunate chance. Yet his wholesale acquisitions of the complete graphic estates of Serlio, Perino del Vaga and Giulio Romano—which might seem just so many lucky opportunities— presuppose his active approach of their possessors: why did he buy just these collections? In addition Strada developed a systematic programme of acquisition of very precise, high quality documentary drawings of selected monuments both of classical Antiquity and of its most illustrious modern re- inventions, a project involving many draughtsmen and what must have been a quite substantial investment. Some of these sets—notably the documentation of Raphael’s Vatican Loggia and of the Palazzo del Te—were commissioned on behalf of his patrons, but it seems rather likely that Strada had himself incited their desire for these, before satisfying it. tanta destrezza, facilità, e bell’ordine, che per huomo mediocre nell’arte che egli si sia, lo fà capace, e sene può commodamente servire’; ‘Hora vedendo la utilità che questo libro al mondo haverebbe potuto arrecare, se fosse inteso da ogniuno, lo feci tradurre in lingua Latina, come quella che è più intesa di tutte le altre ch’hoggi dì si scrivono, e parlano fra Christiani: accioche fosse da tutti li regni e provincie del mondo inteso, e posto in opera’. 43 Doc. 1573-00-00, Request for copyright privilege for a seven volume compilation of an- cient inscriptions: ‘Mi trovo sette gran volumi scritti di lettere maiuscule, parte latine e parte greche, dove sonno tutte le inscriptioni antiche, che in varie parte del mondo si trovano; e perchè sonno molti anni che io le ò messo insieme, imperò con hanimo di publicarle sotto il nome della Sacra Cesarea Maestà Vostra alla stampa a commune utilità di ciascheduno.’; Doc. 1577-10-04(d), Strada to Francesco i, Grandduke of Tuscany: ‘Ma la morte à guasto hogni cosa, si che se Vostra Serenissima Altezza volesse far questo ben- efitio al mondo, et lassar immortal nome et gloria di Lei con il fargli stampare, tutto sta in quella.’; Doc. 1581-01-04, Strada to August, Elector of Saxony, request for subvention for his polyglot dictionary: ‘Il Pr[esen]te, che V. Alt. Mi fece dei talleri 500 par aiuto del mio Dictionario, che V.Alt. vide, tutti furono spesi con molti altri apresso in far scrivere; hora tutta la mia fattico che io ho fatto, con tanta mia spesa, tutto dorme, et dormira per insino che qualche Principe non si degnara di far le svegliare per publica utilità al Mondo’; there are many other instances.