additions by Rudolf II
Living Prague
The new Holy Roman Emperor moved the Habsburg capital from Vienna to Prague in 1583, settling in the centre of his mighty Empire. The Habsburgs had traditionally favoured Vienna, but the Ottoman Empire had invaded Hungary decades before; thus the Habsburgs had fought lengthy land wars on their border since. Prague Castle put Rudolf safely distant from Turkish army’s advance.
Prague was a key centre in continental Europe, a land-locked city with Baltic Sea 500 km north and Adriatic Sea 600 km south. It was a busy urban centre comparable in size & culture to Amsterdam and located at the cross-roads linking Vienna, Krakow, Nuremberg, Augsburg and Munich.
The court-centred city flourished, split into 4 administrative areas: Old Town, New Town, Lesser Town and Castle. Between Old Town and the river to the north was the gated Jewish town, with its inhabitants locked in each night. Accounts of Prague burghers & merchants revealed that wealthy families owned items that extended to distant lands. Luxury items flowed.
Collecting was a Habsburg family passion. Rudolf’s grandfather liked Roman coins and dad Maximilian loved antique statues. So the imperial seat became a lavish court where Rudolf became a very royal collector. Lions, parrots, Turkish armour and exotic stones from Sth America and the Far East poured into Rudolf’s collections. His court attracted diplomats, artists, artisans and scientists seeking the Emperor’s patronage contributed to Prague’s dynamic cultural richness for 30+ years.
Rudolf devoted his life to accumulating the greatest collection of the arts in all of Renaissance Europe. He owned works by Leonardo da Vinci, Paolo Veronese, Pieter Brughel Elder, Titian and Hieronymus Bosch, as well as sculptures by Adriaen de VriesAnd he amassed vast treasures as patron of Mannerists, e.g., Hans von Aachen, Bartholomeus Spranger, and Giuseppe Arcimboldo.
Inventories from 1600 showed exquisite items eg seashells mounted in silver. Crammed into cabinets were trinkets made out of mother-of-pearl and coral, engraved brass plates, clocks, headpieces, helmets, maths instruments and the skins of thoroughbred Indian horses. Other key objects included a phial of the earth from which God created Adam; nails from Noah’s ark; and stuffed exotic animals.
Durer, Feast of the Rosary, 1506, 162 x 192 cm,
National Gallery Prague
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All these works seduced Rudolf who was helpless under their spell. German artist Albrecht Dürer had produced The Feast of the Rosary (1506), an image of the Virgin and Child surrounded by high-status believers including a pope and some kings. In early C17th this was a Venice altarpiece of the German Church. For a century, the city’s transient German merchants had prayed before it, hoping for prosperity at Venice’s many marketplaces. Rudolf had a huge appetite for art and his frantic notes commanded a European network of ambassadors and dealers who serviced his obsession, buying treasures on his behalf. Now Rudolf pestered the German community ceaselessly, sending his men to meet the church’s clergy for haggling. The congregation wouldn’t part with it but in 1606 they relented. In the building’s dim medieval interior, the painting was extricated and wrapped in carpets. He paid 9 times the original price for The Rosary, a fantastic sum! Flemish artist Bartholomeus Spranger accompanied The Rosary on its trip; the strongmen who were ordered to carry The Rosary from Venice to Prague had to haul it over the Alps by hand, working in a relay to carry it over. Mud and snow made the journey gruelling, so when the Rosary finally arrived in Prague, Rudolf sent everyone out to relish it alone.
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All these works seduced Rudolf who was helpless under their spell. German artist Albrecht Dürer had produced The Feast of the Rosary (1506), an image of the Virgin and Child surrounded by high-status believers including a pope and some kings. In early C17th this was a Venice altarpiece of the German Church. For a century, the city’s transient German merchants had prayed before it, hoping for prosperity at Venice’s many marketplaces. Rudolf had a huge appetite for art and his frantic notes commanded a European network of ambassadors and dealers who serviced his obsession, buying treasures on his behalf. Now Rudolf pestered the German community ceaselessly, sending his men to meet the church’s clergy for haggling. The congregation wouldn’t part with it but in 1606 they relented. In the building’s dim medieval interior, the painting was extricated and wrapped in carpets. He paid 9 times the original price for The Rosary, a fantastic sum! Flemish artist Bartholomeus Spranger accompanied The Rosary on its trip; the strongmen who were ordered to carry The Rosary from Venice to Prague had to haul it over the Alps by hand, working in a relay to carry it over. Mud and snow made the journey gruelling, so when the Rosary finally arrived in Prague, Rudolf sent everyone out to relish it alone.
Inventories from 1600 showed exquisite items eg seashells mounted in silver. Crammed into cabinets were trinkets made out of mother-of-pearl and coral, engraved brass plates, clocks, headpieces, helmets, maths instruments and the skins of thoroughbred Indian horses. Other key objects included a phial of the earth from which God created Adam; nails from Noah’s ark; and stuffed exotic animals.
Jost Bürgi, mathematician, astronomer and clockmaker,
had his own clock workshop at Prague Castle.
World of the Habsburgs
Rudolf started major Renaissance additions to Prague Castle, new palace wings and the Mathematical Tower for his treasures. Each of Rudolf’s acquisitions needed space so Rudolf modified his castle to make room for his growing number of objects. He built halls for his pictures and sculptures, and smaller rooms for jewels, books & animals. The Kunstkammer/cabinet of curiosities sat in a corridor. And next to his bedchamber were his favourite objects. Rudolf believed his religious possessions shielded him from harm, using his treasures for protective rituals. When Rudolf felt under threat from his enemies, he collected his Holy Grail (an agate bowl that collected Christ’s blood whilst on the cross), and a 6’ unicorn horn.
His ambitious collection would be encyclopaedic! The Kunstkammer was organised into themes: Naturalia: natural history, zoology, botany, mineralogy; Scientifica: clocks, watches, globes; Artificialia: coins & prints. Knowledge was constantly evolving; scholarship was never complete.
Rudolf’s accumulation of objects did not isolate him. He allowed trusted scholars, scientists and alchemists into his flats to admire his objects. By studying his range of curiosities unmatched in size, diversity and variety, some of Rudolf’s circle made key discoveries. See his loved court astronomers; Tycho Brahe used Rudolf’s mathematical instruments to track Mars’ orbit. Later Johannes Kepler used these results for his laws of planetary motion, proving planets move in elliptical orbits around the Sun.
Rudolf lost power by his young brother Archduke Matthias and his army in 1611 and died in 1612. Some of the court’s wealth was transferred back to Vienna, which quickly became the settled Habsburg seat of power. The religious, dynastic and territorial issues that Rudolf left unaddressed during his reign led to the outbreak of 30 Years’ War (1618).
World of the Habsburgs
Rudolf started major Renaissance additions to Prague Castle, new palace wings and the Mathematical Tower for his treasures. Each of Rudolf’s acquisitions needed space so Rudolf modified his castle to make room for his growing number of objects. He built halls for his pictures and sculptures, and smaller rooms for jewels, books & animals. The Kunstkammer/cabinet of curiosities sat in a corridor. And next to his bedchamber were his favourite objects. Rudolf believed his religious possessions shielded him from harm, using his treasures for protective rituals. When Rudolf felt under threat from his enemies, he collected his Holy Grail (an agate bowl that collected Christ’s blood whilst on the cross), and a 6’ unicorn horn.
His ambitious collection would be encyclopaedic! The Kunstkammer was organised into themes: Naturalia: natural history, zoology, botany, mineralogy; Scientifica: clocks, watches, globes; Artificialia: coins & prints. Knowledge was constantly evolving; scholarship was never complete.
Rudolf’s accumulation of objects did not isolate him. He allowed trusted scholars, scientists and alchemists into his flats to admire his objects. By studying his range of curiosities unmatched in size, diversity and variety, some of Rudolf’s circle made key discoveries. See his loved court astronomers; Tycho Brahe used Rudolf’s mathematical instruments to track Mars’ orbit. Later Johannes Kepler used these results for his laws of planetary motion, proving planets move in elliptical orbits around the Sun.
Rudolf lost power by his young brother Archduke Matthias and his army in 1611 and died in 1612. Some of the court’s wealth was transferred back to Vienna, which quickly became the settled Habsburg seat of power. The religious, dynastic and territorial issues that Rudolf left unaddressed during his reign led to the outbreak of 30 Years’ War (1618).
Prague Castle Art Gallery
Living Prague
Rudolf II changed Prague into a vibrant Renaissance hub in 1583-1612, but then Europe fell into one of the most destructive conflicts ever. When a Swedish army invaded Prague in 1648, soldiers pillaged 69 bronze statues, 470 paintings, 179 ivory objects and 600 agate & crystal goblets, and substantial war booty. Many precious items from Rudolf’s collections are still in Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. But many items stayed in Prague Castle. Some were pillaged by the Swedish Army stationed in Prague after 30 Years’ War ended in 1648, and ended up in Swedish collections.
Rudolf II changed Prague into a vibrant Renaissance hub in 1583-1612, but then Europe fell into one of the most destructive conflicts ever. When a Swedish army invaded Prague in 1648, soldiers pillaged 69 bronze statues, 470 paintings, 179 ivory objects and 600 agate & crystal goblets, and substantial war booty. Many precious items from Rudolf’s collections are still in Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. But many items stayed in Prague Castle. Some were pillaged by the Swedish Army stationed in Prague after 30 Years’ War ended in 1648, and ended up in Swedish collections.
Imperial crown made in Prague by Jan Vermeyen for Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II, 1602
Hofburg Palace in Vienna
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2 comments:
I am not so interested in alchemy. But it doesn't matter. Czech Centre said Rudolf II was interested in the study of alchemy, an ancient form of natural philosophy, aiming to create the philosopher’s stone and to turn base metals into gold. But his reign overlapped with the scientific revolution, and some of the most notable people who were supported by the emperor include mathematician Johannes Kepler, famous scientist John Dee and Danish astronomer Tycho Brahe. With the help of Rudolf’s power and funds, these men were able to pursue their research.
https://www.czechcenter.org/blog/2021/7/1/7q9enwx9t33fqnij3qqswfpo8p07a7
Interesting to read about Rudolf II and how his love of art and science helped turn Prague into a real Renaissance hotspot.
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