A Church and a Castle
A Church and a Castle.
Centre and periphery of the Empire in duke Ottavio Piccolomini’s self-representation
Author(s): Alessandra BecucciSubject(s): Cultural history, 17th Century
Published by: Jihočeská univerzita v Českých Budějovicích
Keywords: Self-representation; patronage; artistic patronage; nobility; Ottavio Piccolomini
Summary/Abstract: In 1634, while trying to sell his castle in Náchod, duke Ottavio Piccolomini (1599–1656)started diverting his resources towards the foundation of the church of the Servite orderin Vienna. The Florentine origin of the order, the church’s closeness to the center of theHabsburg power and the involvement of other notable patrons in the establishment ofthe Servites in Vienna are some of the elements that made the church a more suitable investmentthan the castle for Piccolomini’s need of social and political representation. Thiscontribution analyses the symbolic capital conveyed by both buildings at different stagesin Piccolomini’s career as instrumental to his fashioning within the highly-competitiveViennese court society.
Journal: Opera Historica
- Issue Year: 17/2016
- Issue No: 2
- Page Range: 201-231
- Page Count: 31
- Language: English