Jacopo Strada

Jacopo Strada of Mantua (1515–1588) was a painter, architect and goldsmithand much sought after as an art expert. His primary occupation, however, was dealing in the art of antiquity. In 1553 Strada had issued a scholarly publication on his own extensive coin collection. Four years later he moved to Vienna, where he worked for the emperors Ferdinand I, Maximilian II and Rudolf II. In 1566 the title “antiquarius caesarius” was conferred upon him, and eight years later he was raised to the nobility. Strada was also in business contact with Titian. The portrait was painted during a stay in Venice and exhibits the pastose, restless application of paint that characterised the beginning of Titian’s late period. Strada is identified by his heavy golden chain as a member of the court; the sword and the fur that seems to have slipped from his right shoulder are evidence of his affluence. On the table lie a letter, coins and an antique torso. Strada himself is holding a completely preserved statuette, a Roman copy of the Aphrodite Pseliumene by Praxiteles. In the background, above his head, lie two books – perhaps Strada’s own publications. The cartouche with an inscription on the right was once assumed to have been a later addition because the design appeared to be too Baroque, but the results of more recent scholarly studies speak against that assumption. Strada’s posture was influenced by Moroni’s portrait of the sculptor Alessandro Vittoria and is unique among Titian’s portraits: the opposing motion of the arms and head gives it an individual dynamism and creates distance to the viewer. It remains an open question whether Titian was seeking in a subtle manner to criticise the aggressive business practices of the imperial antiquarian. © Cäcilia Bischoff, Masterpieces of the Picture Gallery. A Brief Guide to the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna, 2010