Seite - 263 - in Jacopo Strada and Cultural Patronage at the Imperial Court - The Antique as Innovation, Band 1

263Imperial Architect: Background 19 Holzschuh-Hofer 2014, p. 92: ‘Einmal mehr manifestiert sich in der Schlichtheit der Architektur, die von Ferdinand i. in seiner Wiener Residenz in Auftrag gegeben wurde, subtile, unaufdringliche noble Eleganz auf hohem Qualitätsniveau. Am Beispiel dieses Portals und der Podestbögen wird deutlich, dass eine auf das Wesentliche reduzierte Form und hoher Qualitätsanspruch keinen Widerspruch darstellten. Vielmehr handelt es sich um ein strategisch eingesetztes, einem Programm folgendes Ausdrucksmittel der Ferdinandeische Auftragsarchitektur’. 20 ‘<…> als der, so nit allain uber alle Fursten teuscher nacion alle kunsten lieb haben, sunder auch in der Architectur der aller synnreychest ist’, dedication to Ferdinand i in Coecke’s edition of Jacob Rechlinger’s (Rehlinger) German translation of Serlio’s Fourth Book: Sebastiano Serlio, Die gemaynen Reglen von der Architectur uber die funf Manieren der Gebeu, the Antwerpen 1542, fol. Aii r; cf. Krista De Jonge 2004, pp. 278–279, who first drew my attention to this. between a form reduced to its barest essentials, and a high standard of quality.19 Ferdinand’s wish for noble simplicity is closely linked to an interest in ar- chitecture in the antique manner, as is clear from the direct or indirect encouragement the king appears to have given to Pieter Coecke van Aelst, inciting him to publish a German edition of Sebastiano Serlio’s Quarto libro dell’ architettura. This Fourth book was first published in 1537, and presented general rules for the five orders, complemented and illustrated by descriptions and measured designs of the most important ancient edifices. The German translation was printed in Antwerp in 1542 with a dedication to the king: in his preface, Coecke relates how Ferdinand’s court painter Jacob Seisenegger, after having seen Coecke’s Dutch and French translations, had advised him to produce a German edition and to dedicate this to Ferdinand i, who ‘above all German princes, not only loved all arts, but also had the best understanding of architecture’ [Fig. 5.15–05.16].20 Figure 5.19 Entablature of the door surround of Queen Anna’s Summer Palace at the Castle at Prague, ca 1540–1545. Figure 5.20 Entablature of a door surround of the Corinthian order in the Forum of Spo- leto, from Sebastiano Serlio, Die gemaynen Reglen von der Architectur, Antwerp 1542, fol. 50v.