View metadata, citation and similar papers at core.ac.uk brought to you by CORE provided by Cadmus, EUI Research Repository Department of History and Civilization Cosmopolitan Aristocracy and the Diffusion of Baroque Culture: Cultural Transfer from Spain to Austria in the Seventeenth Century Bianca Maria Lindorfer Thesis submitted for assessment with a view to obtaining the degree of Doctor of History and Civilization of the European University Institute June 2009 EUROPEAN UNIVERSITY INSTITUTE Department of History and Civilization Cosmopolitan Aristocracy and the Diffusion of Baroque Culture: Cultural Transfer from Spain to Austria in the Seventeenth Century Bianca Maria Lindorfer Examining Board : Prof. Bartolomé Yun-Casalilla (European University Institute, Florence) - supervisor Prof. James S. Amelang (Universidad Autónoma, Madrid) Prof. Heinz-Gerhard Haupt (European University Institute, Florence) Dr. Katrin Keller (University of Vienna) © 2009, Bianca Maria Lindorfer No part of this thesis may be copied, reproduced or transmitted without prior permission of the author. Contents Introduction ...................................................................................................................... 5 Part I. Cultural Transfer and Early Modern Aristocracy: Methodological and Historical Framework ........................................................................................... 12 1. Methodological Framework: Cultural Transfer in Early Modern Period .................. 13 1.1. Cultural Transfer and Social Networks ................................................................ 22 1.2. Cultural Transfer, Consumption, and Social Distinction...................................... 27 2. Historical Framework: Madrid, Vienna, and the Austrian Aristocracy, 1550-1700 . 34 2.1. Spanish-Austrian Relations, 1550-1700............................................................... 34 2.2. The Austrian Aristocracy in a Period of Social and Cultural Upheaval................ 44 Part II. Channels of Transfer: Aristocratic Networks and Cross-Cultural Encounters .. 55 3. Acquiring Contacts Abroad: Austrian Aristocrats as Travellers and Ambassadors .. 56 3.1. Young Noblemen Explore the World: Education and Cultural Contacts during the Grand Tour......................................................................................... 56 3.2. Ambassadors as Mediators between Cultural Spaces......................................... 67 3.2.1. Imperial Ambassadors in Spain in the Seventeenth Century ................... 68 3.2.2. Social Networks and Cultural Activities in Madrid.................................... 82 4. Family Networks and the Court as a Setting for Encounters .................................... 86 4.1. Family Networks and Marriage Markets of the Austrian Aristocracy................. 86 4.2. The Imperial Court: An »International« Meeting-point ...................................... 96 4.2.1. Office holders, Diplomats, and Travellers................................................. 99 4.2.2. The Courts of the Empresses Maria Anna and Margarita Teresa........... 104 Part III. Crossing Boundaries: The Transfer of Goods and their Impact on Aristocratic Society .......................................................................................... 112 5. Collecting Paintings: The » Gräflich Harrach’sche Gemäldegalerie « and its Early Acquisitions in Madrid ............................................................................................. 113 5.1. Harrach’s Contacts to the Spanish World of Art ............................................... 118 5.2. Acquisitions of Paintings in Madrid................................................................... 125 6. Exhibiting Knowledge: Spanish Literature in Aristocratic Libraries ........................ 139 7. Consuming Luxury: Austrian Aristocrats face the Rise of Chocolate ...................... 162 8. Beyond Transfer: The Impact of Cultural Transfer on Aristocratic Self-Representation .................................................................................................. 178 8.1. The Development of an » International « Cuisine: Eating Culture as a Sign of Social Distinction ................................................................................... 179 8.2. Fashion and Appearance: Self-Expression and Expression of Noble Values..... 188 8.3. » A Nobleman has to be Curious «: Investment in Glory and Fame.................... 195 9. Cultural Patriotism: Opponents of Foreign Influences ............................................ 206 9.1. » Das kommt mir Spanisch vor «: Criticism of Spanish Influences...................... 208 9.2. Linguistic Societies and Bourgeois Cultural Patriotism ..................................... 216 Conclusion ..................................................................................................................... 224 Literature and Archival Sources ................................................................................... 230 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS Writing these lines makes me recall the last years, which were marked by ups and downs, by achievements and setbacks, and by coming against and crossing boundaries. I take pleasure now in thanking all those who contributed in one or the other way to this work, and who made this important stage in my life a fruitful, rich, and unforgettable period. I feel privileged to have been able to study at the European University Institute, a place of such inspiring atmosphere, where it was not lacking in either intellectual or personal resources, and where I could expand my horizons in a most comprehensive way. I greatly benefited from discussions with colleagues and friends, and their support all along the way has been invaluable on both an academic and a personal level. First and foremost, I want to thank my Supervisor, Professor Bartolomé Yun-Casalilla, for his guidance and assistance in exploring the world of early modern aristocrats, for his patience and encouragement in difficult moments, and his critical comments on my writings that often opened up new perspectives. But I am especially grateful for the confidence he had in my work throughout. I owe a special debt to my former adviser at the University of Vienna, Professor Friedrich Edelmayer, who encouraged me to continue the academic path and to Dr. Katrin Keller who offered archival material and encouragement to investigate early modern cultural transfer processes. I want to thank Alessandro Catalano and Petr Mat’a for their comments and archival references, and I am most grateful to Sabine Wagner for guiding me through the Lamberg library in Steyr and for providing me with the computer file of the unpublished library inventory. I am similarly grateful to Zdislava Röhsner from the Austrian State Archive with whom I could share my enthusiasm for researching in the Harrach archive, and who offered research support that went far beyond her professional duties. Among the numerous friends at home and abroad, who enriched this work by sharing their expertise and offered help at crucial moments, I would like to thank in particular Eva Bauer, Christa Putz, Javier San Julian Arrupe, and Henning Trüpper, who made living and working in Florence so wonderful and memorable. Stefan Donecker offered his shoulder more than once, and he always found the right words to help me back on track, and Katharina Bieberauer has read several chapters and provided helpful comments. Special mention should also be made to Miriam Nyhan, who took on the task of correcting this piece of work. To all I wish to extend my heartfelt thanks. The friendship with each of them is one of the most valuable outcomes of this period. Finally, I owe special gratitude to my family, my father Fritz Krenn, who never doubted my decisions; Sandra and Harald Reisinger, who gave me a wonderful reason to return to Austria; and in particular Jakob Ortis for the trip to the Bíla Hora; the invitation to Schiller’s Wallenstein in the Burgtheater; but even more, for all those moments during which I could forget the seventeenth century. Florence, February 2009 INTRODUCTION In 1666, the bond of kinship between the Austrian and Spanish Habsburg monarchies was continued by the marriage of Leopold I and Infanta Margarita Teresa of Spain. Shortly after the Spanish Princess had arrived in Vienna with her entourage, the Emperor complained about the Spanish ladies, who wanted everything done according to their Spanish customs and habits. »The local mujeres españolas want to make my court entirely Spanish, but I cannot let them have their way«, he wrote to his ambassador in Spain, Count Pötting. 1 Overall, cultural differences and the rejection of the German language by the Spanish ladies, as well as disputes concerning rank were frequently an issue in Leopold’s correspondence with Count Pötting. 2 Although the Emperor repeatedly emphasised that he was not willing to introduce any changes or innovations at his court, it is undeniable that the Spanish- Austrian relations in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries made their marks on the imperial court, on the Viennese townscape, and on the cultural landscape of the Austrian Habsburg territories in general. In many respects, the Emperor himself furthered a cultural transfer from Spain to Austria. The reception of Spanish theatre, and especially the plays by Calderón, saw the heyday in Vienna in this epoch. Leopold I frequently instructed his ambassadors in Spain to send copies of the latest performances and music compositions