Stradanus (1523-1605): Court Artist of the Medici

S@|aDANUS 1523–1605

court artist of the

MEDICI

S@|aDANUS •

1523–1605 court artist of the MEDICI

harvey miller publishers

S@|aDANUS •

1523–1605 court artist of the MEDICI

harvey miller publishers

A fertile imagination Stradanu s as an inventor of p r i n t s

F

antasy, imagination, invention: these are all terms which are used to describe the creative genius which an artist must possess if he wishes to be ranked amongst the great masters of his profession. According to 16th century opinion, creative powers of imagination were first and foremost a question of inborn talent – but this by itself was not enough. You needed to work hard to develop the skills you had been given. To the 16th century mind, practice (exercitatio) was of equal importance as natural aptitude.… Johannes Stradanus made it clear on more than one occasion that his art rested on both these twin pillars. Many of his drawings bear the inscription Joannes Stradanus inventor (or a similar phrase) – an obvious indication that the artist liked to refer to his own ingenium.� However, his self-portrait was captioned with the motto: ‘assiduitate nihil non adsequitur’ (There is nothing that cannot be achieved through perseverance) (Fig. 1). This self-portrait widely circulated in the form of a copper engraving and was one of the first in a long series of allegorical portraits of well-known artists, all of which were designed to underline the status of the person portrayed.À In other words, Stradanus was no stranger to feelings of pride and self-consciousness. In fact, in terms of ‘self-fashioning’ he was scarcely less active than the distinguished Hendrick Goltzius, who liked to depict himself as the Apelles of his time.

The career of Stradanus followed an unorthodox – but for him highly favourable – path. Many painters from northern Europe travelled to the South in order to complete their artistic education. Very few, however, succeeded in making a successful, lifelong career in Italy. After the young Johannes Stradanus arrived in Florence (via Lyon and Venice), he quickly managed to push his way into the inner circle of artists who enjoyed the protection – and patronage – of Cosimo I de’ Medici. As a result, he was able to work as an assistant to Giorgio Vasari during the decoration of the Palazzo Vecchio, to which he made several significant contributions. As a Fleming, he was also honoured with the rare privilege of being involved in the foundation of the Accademia del Disegno – the first art academy in Europe with official regulations and a wide and varied curriculum including subjects such as mathematics and anatomy. Stradanus was able to compete with the very best Florentine painters – and he was not found wanting. Commissions from patrons flooded in and he was slowly able to amass a discreet (but nonetheless considerable) fortune. In :: ::

St ra DA N U S 1 5 2 3 – 1 6 0 5

A fertile imagination Stradanu s as an inventor of p r i n t s

F

antasy, imagination, invention: these are all terms which are used to describe the creative genius which an artist must possess if he wishes to be ranked amongst the great masters of his professs sion. According to 16th century opinion, creative powers of imagination were first and forems most a question of inborn talent – but this by itself was not enough. You needed to work hard to develop the skills you had been given. To the 16th century mind, practice (exercitatio) was of equal imps portance as natural aptitude.… Johannes Stradanus made it clear on more than one occasion that his art rested on both these twin pillars. Many of his drawings bear the inscription Joannes Stradanus inventor (or a similar phrase) – an obvious indication that the artist liked to refer to his own ingenium.� However, his self-portrait was captioned with the motto: ‘assiduitate nihil non adsequitur’ (There is nothing that cannot be achieved through perseverance) (Fig. 1). This self-portrait widely circulated in the form of a copper engraving and was one of the first in a long series of allegorical portraits of well-known artists, all of which were designed to underline the status of the person portrayed.À In other words, Stradanus was no stranger to feelings of pride and self-consciousness. In fact, in terms of ‘self-fashioning’ he was scarcely less active than the distinguished Hendrick Goltzius, who liked to depict himself as the Apelles of his time.

The career of Stradanus followed an unorthodox – but for him highly favourable – path. Many paintes ers from northern Europe travelled to the South in order to complete their artistic education. Very few, however, succeeded in making a successful, lifelong career in Italy. After the young Johannes Stradanus arrived in Florence (via Lyon and Venice), he quickly managed to push his way into the inner circle of artis ists who enjoyed the protection – and patronage – of Cosimo I de’ Medici. As a result, he was able to work as an assistant to Giorgio Vasari during the decoration of the Palazzo Vecchio, to which he made several significant contributions. As a Fleming, he was also honoured with the rare privilege of being involved in the foundation of the Accademia del Disegno – the first art academy in Europe with official regulations and a wide and varied curriculum including subjects such as mathematics and anatomy. Stradanus was able to compete with the very best Florentine painters – and he was not found wanting. Commissions from pats trons flooded in and he was slowly able to amass a discreet (but nonetheless considerable) fortune. In 1604 – one year before the artist’s death – Karel van Mander sighed that “envious . . . Florence” had deprived “our Netherlandish Belgica” not only of the great Giambologna, “the flower of the art of sculpture”, but also “the excellent Hans [sic] van der Straet, painter from Bruges”.Ã As has already been mentioned in this catalogue, Stradanus only became actively interested in the art of printmaking from about 1570 onwards, after he had already achieved considerable fame as a painter and a designer of tapestries. Originally, he allowed his (earlier) paintings and tapestry designs to be transls lated into prints in order to enhance his reputation with a wider public. His first biographer, Raffaello :: ::

St ra DA N U S 1 5 2 3 – 1 6 0 5

Fig. 2. Stradanus, Passio, details to come

Fig. 3. Stradanus, The Mocking, details to come

Galle probably found it more appropriate to depict Jesus with his face covered while being tormented, as described in the Gospels.

By and large, however, Philips Galle had every reason to be satisfied with the work produced by Stradans nus. The Florentine Fleming was indeed able to transform the story of Christ’s suffering and death into an inspiring visual narrative. Stradanus used various techniques to allow the different scenes to flow seamls lessly into one another. For example, the large majority of scenes were cleverly arranged to be viewed from left to right. Moreover, in each scene the key dramatic element is very clearly emphasised: this is particuls larly true of the Christ figure, which is easily recognisable with his sacred halo and is often positioned in the middle of the composition. At the same time, the series also demonstrates a number of stylistic variations and innovations. Stradanus was particularly inventive in the manner in which he built up the structure of his compositions, or alternated scenes which took place in daylight with scenes which took place at night time, or at least in darkened settings.

But the real power of Stradanus’s Passio rests in the carefully crafted changes of mood between the succs cessive prints. After Christ has accepted the inevitability of his suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and

has submitted to the betrayal of Judas, Stradanus shows us with great accuracy how the captive Jesus is subjected to ever greater humiliations and ever greater physical trials. During his appearances before the spiritual and temporal authorities (the former represented by the high priests Annas and Caiaphas, the latter by the Roman procurator Pontius Pilate and Herod), he is continuously surrounded and jostled by hostile crowds. Numerous bystanders fill the margins and the backgrounds of the compositions, both in the breadth and in the depth, as a result of which even the two ‘quieter’ meetings with the apparently symps pathetic Pilate have an air of menace (Fig.2). In The Mocking (Fig.3), Jesus experiences physical violence for the first time. This scene is set in a darkened chamber, filled with an angry mob. Burning torches and a smouldering fireplace are the only limited sources of light. Contempt, aggression and indifference characts terise the posture and the facial expressions of the figures in the foreground and the middle ground. Later in the series, The Scourging and The Crowning with Thorns both give powerful expression to the theme of ‘Love among the loveless’. Even if Stradanus was unable to match the full expressive power of Albrecht Dürer in his famous woodcut series known as the Little Passion, he was at least able to convey his message to the viewer in an unmistakeably effective manner. In The Scourging, the mobile posture of both Christ

:: ::

:: ::

St ra DA N U S 1 5 2 3 – 1 6 0 5

Fig. 2. Stradanus, Passio, details to come

Fig. 3. Stradanus, The Mocking, details to come

Galle probably found it more appropriate to depict Jesus with his face covered while being tormented, as described in the Gospels.

By and large, however, Philips Galle had every reason to be satisfied with the work produced by Stradans nus. The Florentine Fleming was indeed able to transform the story of Christ’s suffering and death into an inspiring visual narrative. Stradanus used various techniques to allow the different scenes to flow seamls lessly into one another. For example, the large majority of scenes were cleverly arranged to be viewed from left to right. Moreover, in each scene the key dramatic element is very clearly emphasised: this is particuls larly true of the Christ figure, which is easily recognisable with his sacred halo and is often positioned in the middle of the composition. At the same time, the series also demonstrates a number of stylistic variations and innovations. Stradanus was particularly inventive in the manner in which he built up the structure of his compositions, or alternated scenes which took place in daylight with scenes which took place at night time, or at least in darkened settings.

But the real power of Stradanus’s Passio rests in the carefully crafted changes of mood between the succs cessive prints. After Christ has accepted the inevitability of his suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and

has submitted to the betrayal of Judas, Stradanus shows us with great accuracy how the captive Jesus is subjected to ever greater humiliations and ever greater physical trials. During his appearances before the spiritual and temporal authorities (the former represented by the high priests Annas and Caiaphas, the latter by the Roman procurator Pontius Pilate and Herod), he is continuously surrounded and jostled by hostile crowds. Numerous bystanders fill the margins and the backgrounds of the compositions, both in the breadth and in the depth, as a result of which even the two ‘quieter’ meetings with the apparently symps pathetic Pilate have an air of menace (Fig.2). In The Mocking (Fig.3), Jesus experiences physical violence for the first time. This scene is set in a darkened chamber, filled with an angry mob. Burning torches and a smouldering fireplace are the only limited sources of light. Contempt, aggression and indifference characts terise the posture and the facial expressions of the figures in the foreground and the middle ground. Later in the series, The Scourging and The Crowning with Thorns both give powerful expression to the theme of ‘Love among the loveless’. Even if Stradanus was unable to match the full expressive power of Albrecht Dürer in his famous woodcut series known as the Little Passion, he was at least able to convey his message to the viewer in an unmistakeably effective manner. In The Scourging, the mobile posture of both Christ

:: ::

:: ::

St ra DA N U S 1 5 2 3 – 1 6 0 5

61

60

The Stable of Don Juan of Austri a Frontispiece Equile Ioannis Austriaci Caroli V. Imp. F. (57) Brussels, Koninklijke Bibliotheek Albert I, Prentenkabinet, inv. S I 23201 f° (in binding) Engraved by Adriaen Collaert Engraving, 21.1 ¤ 27.8 cm.

Signed at bottom right: Adrianus Collaert scalpsit. Title in cartouche at centre: eqvile | ioannis avstriaci | caroli v. imp. f. | In quo | omnis generis generosissimorum equo: | rum ex varijs orbis partibus insignis | delectus. Ab vivum omnes delineati a celeberrimo pic: | tore Iohanne Stradano Belga Brugensi. | Et à Philippo Gall[a]eo editi. Three lines of Latin dedication in margin: ill mo et excell mo d. alphonso felici d‘avalos et aragona, marchioni del vasto ac pescara, dvci montis d. ioannis, principi francae= | villae, eqviti avrei velleris, maiestati catholicae a consiliis, eqvitvmq. pro eadem in belgio magistro | observantiae monvmentvm philippvs gallaevs dd.

Bibliography: H. IV (A. Collaert), no. 571; H. VII (Ph. Galle), no. 484; Baroni Vannucci 1997, no. 692.2; NHD The Collaert Dynasty, no. 1482; NHD Johannes Stradanus, no. 527

Apulus (Caval del Regni) (58) Leiden, Prentenkabinet der Rijksuniversiteit, Thysiana collectie, inv. PK-T-AW-1210 Pen, black chalk and heightened with white, 189 ¤ 264 mm

Equus Liber et Incompositus (Free and Untamed Horse) (60) London, British Museum, Printroom, inv.1910-0409-35

:: 22 ::

The Stable of Don Juan of Austria

59

62 Engraved by Hendrick Goltzius Engraving, 20.3 ¤ 26.4 cm.

Signed at bottom right: HGoltzius fe [HG interlaced]. Signature and address in margin at left: Jo. Strada. inue. | P. Galleus. excu. Caption at top left of centre: eqvvs liber et inco[m]positvs. Four lines of Latin in two columns in margin: Hic bellator equus campo sese arduus infert / In pr[a]ecepsq[ue] ruit.strict[a]e contemptor haben[a]e, // Frena pati indocilis: sed tandem tempore lento, / et facili dextra moderatus paret habenis.

Bibliography: Hirschmann 1919, no. 334; H. VII (Ph. Galle), no. 518; H. VIII (H. Goltzius), no. 334; Strauss 1977, no. 91; TIB 3 (H. Goltzius), no. 292; Baroni Vannucci 1997, no. 692.33; NHD Johannes Stradanus, no. 543

Tuscus (Tuscan Horse) (61) London, British Museum, Printroom, inv. 1910-0409-33 Engraved by Hendrick Goltzius Engraving, 21.0 ¤ 26.6 cm.

Signed at bottom right of centre: Joha[n]nis Stradanus inuentor. | Henricus Goltzius sculptor. Name at top centre: tvscvs. Four lines of Latin in two columns in margin: Tuscus acer medijs cum sese vallibus effert, /Effert argutum caput, auribus emicat, armo // Densa iuba in dextro semper iactata recu[m]bit, / Concutiens solido paßim frondentia cornu.

Bibliography: Hirschmann 1919, no. 335; H. VII (Ph. Galle), no. 499; H. VIII (H. Goltzius), no. 335; Strauss 1977, no. 92; TIB 3 (H. Goltzius), no. 290; Baroni Vannucci 1997, no. 692.37; NHD Johannes Stradanus, no. 546

Calaber (Calabrian Horse) (59) London, British Museum, Printroom, inv. 1910-0409-34 Engraved by Hendrick Goltzius Engraving, 21.2 ¤ 26.6 cm.

:: 23 ::

St ra DA N U S 1 5 2 3 – 1 6 0 5

61

60

The Stable of Don Juan of Austri a Frontispiece Equile Ioannis Austriaci Caroli V. Imp. F. (57) Brussels, Koninklijke Bibliotheek Albert I, Prentenkabinet, inv. S I 23201 f° (in binding) Engraved by Adriaen Collaert Engraving, 21.1 ¤ 27.8 cm.

Signed at bottom right: Adrianus Collaert scalpsit. Title in cartouche at centre: eqvile | ioannis avstriaci | caroli v. imp. f. | In quo | omnis generis generosissimorum equo: | rum ex varijs orbis partibus insignis | delectus. Ab vivum omnes delineati a celeberrimo pic: | tore Iohanne Stradano Belga Brugensi. | Et à Philippo Gall[a]eo editi. Three lines of Latin dedication in margin: ill mo et excell mo d. alphonso felici d‘avalos et aragona, marchioni del vasto ac pescara, dvci montis d. ioannis, principi francae= | villae, eqviti avrei velleris, maiestati catholicae a consiliis, eqvitvmq. pro eadem in belgio magistro | observantiae monvmentvm philippvs gallaevs dd.

Bibliography: H. IV (A. Collaert), no. 571; H. VII (Ph. Galle), no. 484; Baroni Vannucci 1997, no. 692.2; NHD The Collaert Dynasty, no. 1482; NHD Johannes Stradanus, no. 527

Apulus (Caval del Regni) (58) Leiden, Prentenkabinet der Rijksuniversiteit, Thysiana collectie, inv. PK-T-AW-1210 Pen, black chalk and heightened with white, 189 ¤ 264 mm

Equus Liber et Incompositus (Free and Untamed Horse) (60) London, British Museum, Printroom, inv.1910-0409-35

:: 22 ::

The Stable of Don Juan of Austria

59

62 Engraved by Hendrick Goltzius Engraving, 20.3 ¤ 26.4 cm.

Signed at bottom right: HGoltzius fe [HG interlaced]. Signature and address in margin at left: Jo. Strada. inue. | P. Galleus. excu. Caption at top left of centre: eqvvs liber et inco[m]positvs. Four lines of Latin in two columns in margin: Hic bellator equus campo sese arduus infert / In pr[a]ecepsq[ue] ruit.strict[a]e contemptor haben[a]e, // Frena pati indocilis: sed tandem tempore lento, / et facili dextra moderatus paret habenis.

Bibliography: Hirschmann 1919, no. 334; H. VII (Ph. Galle), no. 518; H. VIII (H. Goltzius), no. 334; Strauss 1977, no. 91; TIB 3 (H. Goltzius), no. 292; Baroni Vannucci 1997, no. 692.33; NHD Johannes Stradanus, no. 543

Tuscus (Tuscan Horse) (61) London, British Museum, Printroom, inv. 1910-0409-33 Engraved by Hendrick Goltzius Engraving, 21.0 ¤ 26.6 cm.

Signed at bottom right of centre: Joha[n]nis Stradanus inuentor. | Henricus Goltzius sculptor. Name at top centre: tvscvs. Four lines of Latin in two columns in margin: Tuscus acer medijs cum sese vallibus effert, /Effert argutum caput, auribus emicat, armo // Densa iuba in dextro semper iactata recu[m]bit, / Concutiens solido paßim frondentia cornu.

Bibliography: Hirschmann 1919, no. 335; H. VII (Ph. Galle), no. 499; H. VIII (H. Goltzius), no. 335; Strauss 1977, no. 92; TIB 3 (H. Goltzius), no. 290; Baroni Vannucci 1997, no. 692.37; NHD Johannes Stradanus, no. 546

Calaber (Calabrian Horse) (59) London, British Museum, Printroom, inv. 1910-0409-34 Engraved by Hendrick Goltzius Engraving, 21.2 ¤ 26.6 cm.

:: 23 ::