Seite - 607 - in Jacopo Strada and Cultural Patronage at the Imperial Court - The Antique as Innovation, Band 2

607The Musaeum: Its Contents Titian quite often used this means to induce his more influential friends to assist him selling his works or to foster his interests in other ways: ‘Messer Titian’, wrote Giovanni della Casa in 1544 to Cardinal Alessandro Farnese, ‘has given me a portrait of our Sovereign Lord [= Pope Paul iii] by his own hand, and thus corrupted me to such an extent that its suits me to become his solici- tor’, whereupon he begged the Cardinal to grant Titian a much desired bene- fice. It is common knowledge that Titian’s relationship with Pietro Aretino was partly based on a similar exchange of goods and services.73 Strada was quite fortunate in this respect: apart from painting his portrait, Titian presented him with another painting by his hand, or at least from his studio: a ‘Dea Pomona, ch’è una bellissima donna ritratta con vari frutti’, probably the Lavinia holding a bowl of fruit now in Berlin [Fig. 12.25].74 73 Quoted in Hope 1977, p. 189: ‘Messer Titian mi ha donato un ritratto di nostro Signore di sua mano, et corrottomi di maniera, che mi convien essere suo procuratore’. 74 Stopio (cited above, note 70) claimed that Titian had prepared three paintings, one for Duke Albrecht, of which he does not mention the subject, and one each for Fugger and for Strada; he claims that Titian originally intended a ‘Dea Pomona’ for Fugger, ‘ch’è una bellissima donna ritratta con varij frutti che le vengono presentati’, and a ‘Donna Per- siana’ for Strada, but that Strada, himself preferring the ‘Pomona’, had him change their intended recipients. Diemer/Diemer/ Sauerländer 2008, 3, nr. 3208, pp. 986–987, connect the ‘Dea Pomona’ mentioned by Stopio with the Munich Venus and Cupid, but this seems Figure ��.�6 Titian, La Sultana Rossa, ca. 1550–1560; perhaps the Persian woman Titian gave to Hans Jakob Fugger? Sarasota, The John and Mabel Ringling Mu- seum of Art. Figure ��.�5 Titian, Lavinia holding a bowl of fruit: probably the ‘Dea Pomona’ Titian gave to Jacopo Strada; Berlin, Staatliche Museen.