The beginning of the Baroque period in Central ‘Looking for an Europe is usually associated with the end of the artist. Experience Thirty Years’ War, in spite of the fact that early examples of the style date back to before the War. from Rome required!’ It is difficult to define a clear border between Troja Chateau and ‘Mannerism’ and ‘Baroque’ proper.1 Nevertheless, it Centr al European is true that political and social conditions in Bohemia architecture in the and Austria (which were by no means completely identical) contributed to an exceptional boom in last third of the construction work, especially in the years 1680– seventeenth century 1730.2 Unlike the relatively autonomous Poland, Bohemia was closely connected with Vienna since Martin Krummholz the beginning of the sixteenth century.3 However, a distinction should be made between Bohemia proper with its capital in Prague (which to a certain extent became an artistic centre in its own right) and Moravia, whose ties with Austria and Vienna were virtually immediate.4 Architecture benefited significantly from a trend known as the ‘urbanisation’ of the nobility, who began to spend far more time in their town palaces than in their country residences during the seventeenth century.5 The increasing absolutism of the Habsburgs also played a crucial role: many members of the higher (and richer) aristocracy were tied down at the court by their responsibilities and had to spend most of the year in the imperial or provincial metropolis.6 At the same time, the social and cultural life of the big cities during the Baroque period was better suited to the demands of the upper classes, inspired by Bernini’s Rome or Louis XIV-era France. As a result, art came to serve as a tool for manifesting social hierarchies and for political propaganda. The stages on which these political rituals were played out were usually the town squares or the lavish residences of the aristocracy and the spacious areas they contained: the gardens, the courtyards, and the ceremonial apartments. The turning point of 1683, when the Turkish threat was pushed away from Vienna, and the resulting architectural boom in the city have become legendary. However, many aristocratic residences 1 M. Krummholz, ‘Baroque stucco 3 A. Rosenauer (ed.), Geschichte (ed.), Olomoucké baroko, I.–III. in Bohemia and Moravia’, in: der Bildenden Kunst in Österreich (Olomouc, 2011). Decorative plasterwork in Ireland III. Spätmittelalter. Renaisance 5 P. Maťa, ‘Soumrak venkovských and Europe. Ornament and (München—London—New York, rezidencí’, Opera Historica 7 2003); H. Lorenz (ed.), Geschichte the Early Modern Interior, eds. (1999), pp. 139–61. der Bildenden Kunst in Österreich C. Casey and C. Lucey (Dublin, 6 P. Maťa, Svět české aristokracie IV. Barock (München—London— 2012), pp. 93–110. (1500–1700) (Praha, 2004); New York, 1999). J.Kubeš, ‘Reprezentační funkce 2 J. Dvorský and E. Fučíková (eds.), 4 I. Krsek, Z. Kudělka, M. Stehlík, sídel vyšší šlechty z českých zemí Dějiny českého výtvraného umění and J. Válka (eds.), Umění (1500–1740)’ (PhD dissertation, II. Od počátků renesance do závěru baroka na Moravě a ve Slezsku Jihočeská univerzita České baroka (Praha, 1989). (Praha, 1996); O. Jakubec Budějovice, 2005). ‘LOOKING FOR AN ARTIST. EXPERIENCE FROM ROME REQUIRED!’ TROJA CHATEAU AND CENTR AL EUROPEAN ARCHITECTURE IN THE LAST THIRD OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 7 P. Fidler, ‘Architektur des Seicento. Baumeister, Architekten und Bauten des Wiener Hofkreises’, (habilitation, Universität Innsbruck, 1990). 8 W. W. Prämer, 122 Architektonischer Schauplatz, Österreichische Nationalbibliothek, Cod. ser. nov. 365; H. Tietze, ‘Wolfgang Wilhelm Prämers Architekturwerk und der Wiener Palastbau des XVII. Jahrhunderts’, Jahrbuch des Allerhöchsten Kaiserhaus XXXII (1915), pp. 343–402; H. Lorenz, ‘Wolfgang Wilhelm Prämers Palaz zur Accomodirung fig. 38a Johann Bernhard Fischer von Erlach, interior designs of the eines Landt-Fürsten’, Clam-Gallas Palace, Prague (1714–7) Wiener Jahrbuch für Kunstgeschichte XXXIV (1981), pp. 115–30 (cont. in Wiener Jahrbuch für in Vienna were destroyed or damaged during the Turkish siege. Kunstgeschichte XXXVI What was not swept aside by the wave of fashionable High Baroque [1983], pp. 191–202); 7 F. Polleross, ‘Der was gradually rebuilt. Our knowledge of Viennese architecture Wiener und sein before 1683 is thus largely restricted to iconographic sources, in Gartenhaus. Wolfgang particular the well-known set of drawings by Wolfgang Wilhelm Wilhelm Prämer (um 1637–1716)’, in: Wien Prämer (1637?–1716).8 und seine WienerInnen: After 1683 three key architects appeared on the Viennese scene whose ein historischer Streifzug durch Wien über die work is synonymous with the concept of Baroque even today: Johann Jahrhunderte. Festschrift Bernhard Fischer von Erlach (1656–1723), Domenico Martinelli für Karl Vocelka zum 60. 9 Geburtstag, ed. M. Scheutz (1650–1718), and Johann Lukas von Hildebrandt (1668–1745). (Wien, 2008), pp. 99–124. Here we will leave aside Hildebrandt, whose career began slightly 9 H. Lorenz, Johann later (in 1697) to concentrate on the relationship between Fischer Bernhard Fischer von Erlach (Zürich–Münich–London, and Martinelli, which sheds light on perceptions of art among their 1992); A. Kreul, Johann aristocratic contemporaries. Bernhard Fischer von Erlach. Regie der Relation In 1686–7 Johann Bernhard Fischer returned to Styria, where he (Salzburg–München, had been born, from Italy, where he had spent many years after 2006); H. Lorenz, first training as a sculptor in his father’s workshop.10 In Italy, Domenico Martinelli und die österreichische he worked mainly as a sculptor and decorative artist, probably Barockarchitektur (Wien, completing his training in the extremely busy Roman workshop of 1991); B. Grimschitz, 11 Johann Lucas von Johann Paul Schor, named Giovanni Paolo Tedesco (1615–74). Hildebrandt (Wien, 1959); The first commissions Fischer received on his return to Styria p.H. Jahn, Johann Lucas von Hildebrandt (1668– were also for sculptures and stuccowork rather than architectural 1745). Sakralarchitektur designs. However, a rumour soon spread in Vienna that Fischer had für Kaiserhaus und Adel spent sixteen years in Bernini’s workshop. The rumour sparked an (Petersberg, 2011). 10 S. Walker, ‘Fischer von immediate interest in this undoubtedly creative artist, who had been Erlach in der Werkstatt seeking prestigious commissions only to find himself swamped by Giovanni Paolo Schors’, them.12 Before long, however, Fischer’s abilities proved limited, at Barockberichte 50 (2008), pp. 291–300. least at that stage: his ‘architecture’ was little more than impressive MARTIN KRUMMHOLZ 11 Un regista del gran teatro del barocco. Johann Paul Schor und die internationale Sprache des Barock, ed. C. Strunck (München, 2008). 12 V. Naňková, ‘Fischer z Erlachu a Martinelli 123 v Thunovské korespondenci’, Umění (1973), pp. 541-2. 13 J. Morper, ‘Der Prager Architekt Jean Baptiste Mathey’, Münchener Jahrbuch der bildenden Künste, N. F. IV (1927), p.221; Kreul, Fischer, pp. 150–1. 14 M. Krummholz, Clam- Gallasův palác. Johann fig. 38b Tylman van Gameren, interior designs for Łazienki Palace, Warsaw. Bernhard Fischer von Biblioteka Uniwersytecka w Warszawie Erlach. Architektura, výzdoba, život rezidence (Praha, 2007). 15 A. Kreul, ‘Barock im decorative creativity—evidence of his training in Rome in the Widerstand—‘Englische field of ephemeral architecture. If Fischer did indeed spend some Beziehungen’ des Johann Bernhard Fischer von time (certainly not sixteen years!) in Rome (close to Bernini, it Erlach’, Barockberichte 50 was claimed), then it must have been no further than in Schor’s (2008), pp. 265–72. workshop, which did admittedly cooperate with Bernini. However, 16 E.g. Fischer’s drawing of the Huis ten Bosch Palace Fischer would not have figured as anything more than one of many in the Codex Montenuovo craftsmen working on Schor’s projects. Nevertheless, the talented in ÖNB. artist was determined to overcome this handicap by means of a series of study visits, one of which took him to Prague, where in 1691 he copied the ground plan of the church of the Knights of the Cross with the Red Star and of the Hvězda summer house.13 The large-format autographed designs for the interior of the Clam- Gallas Palace in Prague (1714–7), which have recently been discovered, fig. 38a provide a unique insight into Fischer’s concept of interior decoration.14 In view of the fact that this is one of the architect’s later works, its stylistic similarity to the work produced by Schor’s workshop in 1670–1700 is surprising. Its closest contemporary analogue are the Baroque interiors of certain English aristocratic residences (e.g. the Great Hall in Castle Howard). While such comparisons frequently fuel arguments on English influences in Fischer’s work, it seems more likely that Fischer surprisingly continued to adhere to the ‘non-modern’ interior style he acquired in Schor’s workshop up until the end of his life.15 In addition to his Italian background and English connections, Fischer’s works betray traces of Western European architectural influences. In particular, some of the architect’s extant sketches show signs of a Dutch influence.16 Fischer’s interiors for the aforementioned Clam- Gallas Palace are surprisingly similar to the interior designs of Tylman ‘LOOKING FOR AN ARTIST. EXPERIENCE FROM ROME REQUIRED!’ TROJA CHATEAU AND CENTR AL EUROPEAN ARCHITECTURE IN THE LAST THIRD OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY 17 S. Mossakowski, Tilman van Gameren (1632–1706), who worked in Poland.17 fig. 38b The van Gameren. Leben und Werk, trans. J. Marquard- international significance of this outstanding figure in the history Twarowski (München, of European architecture, older than Fischer by a generation, has 1994); K. Ottenheym and so far not received the appreciation it deserves. Interestingly, the J. E. Goossens (eds.), Tilman van Gameren Dietrichstein collection of drawings, which eventually ended up 124 (1632–1706). A Dutch in possession of the Harrach family, included a ground plan for architect to the Polish Court (Amsterdam, 2002).