YelS'zqLrez

in Italy: painters, spies, and Low spaniards

Edward L. Goldberg
In 1629-3 l, Diego de Silva Vel6zquez spenr nearly a year . in Italy traveling and ^studying works of arr.l 1Td -half Though this first Italian visit is recognized as a crucial

chapter in the developmenr of yel6zquJ,s style_and in the history of Spanish royal patronug", ,in.. philip IV sponsored his trip-we know rarher little ablut the detail and specifics; what the painter saw, whom he met, how he .u, p.r_
his pziinting.2

necessarily up to no good in undertaking a visit ro their city. also has the title of Counsellor, informed me that Count

qualifi the prima facie assumption lhat Veldzquez

Senate's inner Council of Ten.i Mocenigo also took pains to

was

Don Giovanni di Vegliella, who is Secretary of State and

ceived, and what innovations he hoped to introduce into

mendation-or non_recommendation,

The most remarkable and neglected information concern_ ing Vel;izquez's recep.tion in Itaiy was published by CarlJusti a hundred years ago.s He discovered ih."e letteri of reJomas the case may

social climber, and the

Venice. These letters make for lively reading, orr" _obur.ador warns thal is a spy, another po".,.uy. him as a low_born Jzelazluez

written by the Madrid ambassadors of the Duke of parma, the Grand Duke of Tuscany, and the Republic of

be_

first saw Italy. The painter and art writer Francisco pacheco described his son-in-law's trip only a few years after its completion. The King, in order to fulfill Veldzquez,s grear desire ro see Italy and all the wonderful thingi there . . . encouraged him much, giving himpermission ro go and allowing frim four-hundred silver ducats for his 1oyug", as well as continuing to pay his salary for two y"u.r. V.l,irquez then appealed to the Count_Duke Olivares and was given another two hundred ducats in gold, a medal with the King's portrait and many letteis of recommendation
de

quite the opposite. I am stnick by the points of consistency among the three letters and their impreisive coherence when read in the context of the turbulent period in which Veldzquez

painter _t::.r "f Yellzquez and his world. My own impression, however, is

harmless but bears watching nonetheless. Scholars have tended to view these letters as generally irreleva-nt, telling more about the narrow_mind.Jp"..ep'_ a few foreign ambassadors than about the

third ullo*, thut he is probably

. '

stopping there. you will thus be able to clraw your own prudent conclusions regarding how best to deal with him, should he indeed arrive with the lerters I mentioned both for the city and for the state ofVenice. Flavio
down exactly the opposite verdict regarding Veliizqu ez,s bona

suspect, so it seems to me. I accept that the King gave him leave to travel only so that he might enhance t ii p.of"s_ sional skill by seeing the chief citiei of Italy and their most notable works of art. I thought that I should relate all of this to Your Excellencies, since he tells me that he will be

Grimani [of S. pierro?],7 and on rh; turra f,rma for rhe Captain ofV..orru u.rd for my brother the Commendatore. This painter is young and his visit to Venice is not.

Signor Giorgio Contarini [of S. Marco?1, for Signor Vincenzo

of the Chamber.ro His Majesty. TLe said V"l.rqu", i, going to Milan with Spinolla, then conrinuing on hi, orvr, to other Italian cities and particularly Venice" in o.d.. to see and study things pertaining to his profession. Other ambassadors have been similariy approached, as has the Papal Nunzio. Rendering the duei lf .iuit behavior and acceding to His Excellency,s requirements in the King,s service, I issued the passport urrd guu" him letters for

raccomandazione) be obtained for Diego Velasquez, painter

Olivares, acting on the King,s order,6 has commanded that passports and letters oi recommenda tion (lettere

di

Atti. Mocenigo's counterpart lrom parma, handed

fides. On July 26, 1629, Ambassadol Atti"guu" V.tarq.r";'u

formal letter of presentation to Odoardo Fu..r..., Duke of

Parma and Piacenza. He then wrote a letter of dire warning

(rnuchas cartas

fauor).a

diplomatic correspondence.

to the Duchess.s particularly sensitive passages were ren_ dered in code, according to the then ,ro.-il practice of

The procedure for obtaining these letters of recommenda_

Mocenigo, in his dispatch ofJuly 2g, 1629 ro rhe Venerian
lJonathan

tion is described in more detail by a-Uurruaoi atui..

I wrote My Lord the Duke a leter to be brought to him by Diego Velasquez, Usher and painter of the Chamber to his Majesty. He is going to Iraly_he
This very day
C. Justi, D,iego Vekizquez und sein Jahrhund,ert, 2nd. ed., Bonn, 1g03, u, appendix. docs. l-3.
a

research possible.
2

Brown, Marcus Burke_, John Elliott, Enriqueta Harris, Denis Mahon, Dorothy.schwartz,_andlohn Spitl f.i"ai assisted me in preparing this article. I would alsdlike tJtnu.rt ih.'Nutlorrul Endowment for the Humanities whose generous ,"pp".i _.a" tfr.

p."r"rrt

Arte de lapintura (as in n. 2) r,

5Justi, doc. 2.

pp. l58_61.

For

paintpr and Courticr. Ne. fiaren. 19g6, 69_105. ffJ .B-y. Vekizquez: Veldzquez's father-inlaw, offers a ,pu.r" b.,t g..r..1,111.1t_.9 t.heco, arly convrncrng

recent discussion ofthe riterature on veldzquez's first Italian visit,

6 f'his was the channel rhrough which matters of the highest normally communicated ro-ambassador. ln Uaarld,.,h. state were

:yr:r^!lrt:.de 158-61). There

account of the trip- writing only a few years afGr the la pintura, ed. J.'sanchez'Canion, Madrid, 1955, r,
are few known d-o.,r-.rrtr,

Olivares by way of DonJuan de Villela.

ii_; ;;;

in Varia Veltizquefi.a, rr, Madrid, 1960.

-"ri.J.,"fri.f, u." p.rfrtrfr.i

T,Justi's transcription reads^"fu rle ? Marco,,and,,fu de rhat these are abbreviated lormal tirles.

p.ro.,, I assume

8Justi, doc.

l.

454

THE ART BULLETiN

says-to improve himself as a painter, bearing letters for Rome from the Nunzio and from all the other ambassadors
as

just like Carlo Pugh.in, who is also in the King's service and is going to Milan certainly in the capacity of spy.l Next Sunday they are both leaving with the Marchese Spinola. Count Olivares wrote a note to Don Giovanni di Vilela so as to obtain letters of favor (lettere . . . a faaore) from the representatives of every ruler for this Diego Yelazquez, whom I saw in person. li,n code: Part of this painter's ploy, I think, is to reap some hawest by getting
gifts from everyone. Nonetheless, it is indeed true that] he paints in the King's own apartment and I have seen him painting there many times. He specializes in portraits. In effect, his title "Usher of the Chamber" (Uscero di Camera) means little more than porter and signifies less than "Assistant of the Chamber" (Agiutante di Camera)-which

well. lin code: I say, however, that he is going to spy,

that our Princes called him Vostra Signoria or paid him any courtesy beyond that due to a painter. My suggestion is that the Grand Duke have him paint his portrait and then give him a neck-chain with a medal. All the while, the Grand Duke should comport himself with kingly gravity and treat the painter well in the context of his profession; with low Spaniards (Spagnuoli Dassi) you lose either way, by showing them too much respect or not enough.

In short, three chronically overworked ambassadors felt that the motives behind Vel6zquez's Italian voyage were murky enough to warrant special letters of clarification. They,all
knew of Vel6zqtrez aL court and they all reported that he was traveling with the Marchese Spinola.

All three letters share a crucial subtext

as well:

at that

is not his position nor is it to be. He goes before for alternately: bears] the King's goblet when he wishes to eat or dine and the King often watches him paint. This then is
have for you, so that you will understand how to treat him. I don't know if the painter Amidano knows him and might get on with him, since they are both of the same profession. lin code: Amidano,
however, should be warned to watch his tongue.]

disastrous moment in history, it was difficult to believe that a painter, particularly a Spaniard with court connections, might undertake an artistic study trip through northern Italy

without an ulterior purpose. In Italy, particularly northern Italy, aspiring Spanish artists were certainly far fiom common even at the best of times, at least when compared with their numerous French and Netherlandish colleagues. In 1628, the long and bitter diplomatic contest for the Dukedom of Mantua had finally erupted into open warfare. Lombardy was an armed camp, overmn by the soldiers of the French and Spanish alliances. The war showed every sign of becoming a particularly horrible one. In Milan, grave food shortages triggered vehement anti-Spanish uprisings.ll The plague, carrigd by Spain's infamous German mercenaries,
Ioomed as a dread certainty.12

the information that

The Parmesan ambassador, in his turn, leveled three accusations: that YeI|zqtez was a probable spy associated with another known spy, that he intended to solicit gifts from the Italians, and that he was a near menial 21 66s11-liltle betier than a porter. This last issue of social placement was very much on the mind of the Tuscan ambassador Averardo Medici di Castellinae when he wrote his brother Giuliano, Archbishop of Pisa, on September 22, 1629.10
Some time ago I gave letters of recommendation (lettere di
raccomandazione) to a painter named Diego Velasches who is a favorite of the King and of Count Olivares. He has

Ambrogio Spinola, the brilliant and decisive commander of the Spanish forces in the Low Countries and recent hero of the Siege of Breda (commemorated by Veldzquez a few years later in his las La,nzas for the Buen Retiro Palace),I3 was despatched to Milan as governor in August of 1629. King Philip IV had endowed him with full powers of peace and war, and the fragile republics and principalities of northern Italy quite rightly saw their very sur-vival in his hands. In the correspondence between the Tuscan government and their embassy in Madrid, news from Lombardy and speculation regarding Spinola's mission overwhelmed all other matters.la Ambassador Averardo Medici's brother Pietro had been sent to Milan in late August to await Spinola's arrival, in hope of bargaining down the enforced
Tuscan war contribution of money, men, and horses.15 A few

gone to Italy with Marchese Spinola and he wants to see Lombardy and Venice before going on to Florence and then Rome. When he appears, I don't want too much or too little to be made of him. It would be well for a painter to offer him hospitality, as if he were doing this on his own, and for Their Highnesses and the Princes to show him some favor. Although it is superfluous to remind the Count of anything at all, I would have everyone connected with our Princes address him with a Voi muy redondo; as I have said, he is a favorite of the King and the Count, an Usher of the Chamber and these days he is much in evidence here at court. On returning here, I don't want him bragging to these courtiers and even to Their Majesties

months earlier, another brother, Giuliano, Archibishop of Pisa (himself a former ambassador to Spain and the Imperial
rl It is not clear whether Yel,5zquez in fact visited Milan. Pacheco, however, records a telling detail from his sojourn in Venice: the painter could not leave his lodgings in the Spanish Embassy without armed guards "due to the unquietness there." Arte de la pintura (as in n. 2) r,
I 58.

Averardo was of a collateral branch of the Medici family, distantly related to the grandducal house. See J.W. Imhoff, Genealogie aiginti illustrissiumin ltalin,familiarum, Atnsterdam, 1710, 116-117 (tablevIII). Averardo and his brothers Pietro and Giuliano are inscribed in generation xvrrr, sons of Raffaele de' Medici and Costantia Alamanni. r0ASF/MP 4956, fol. 695, Sept. 22, 1629 (Averardo Medici to Archbishop Giuliano Medici). This is a complete and original letter, not a copy or a preliminary draft. For an excellent transcription, see Justi,
e

12The plague struck Milan in late October of 1629, then inexorably made its way south. By April 1630 it was cited in Rome. As I discuss in a forthcoming article, the plague played a considerable role in shaping
Veldzquez's travel plans.
t3 The Surrender of Breda or Las Lanzas (Madrid, Museo del Prado) was painted in 1634-35. Ambrogio Spinola was in fact lrom the Spanish client state of Genoa. 11 ASF/MP 4956 (Madrid to Florence) and,4957 (Florence to Madrid).
r5

doc. 3.

ASF/MP 4957. Sepr. 3. 1629 tA. Cioli to A. Medicit.

vwAzqur.z rN

rrAt-y

4bb

and the practical implications of fri, air.o.rcertingly grand lerters of introduction. Middling ;;d;r.., courr sernanrs often traveled in the.conuoy, & f.."i'"tti.i"ls for safety, economy, and convenience. UndeJthe crrcumstances, how_
The rulers of norrhern Italy had g;;J.u,rr. to wonder if velazquez might nor U" a;pi"."ric courier operar_ l:*"
ever, mere coincidence could not be taken for granted.

rroubling issues: Veliizquez's true connecd,onwith the Marchese Spinola

:: .hir- own long and intense irrt.*i.* with Spinola in Madrid, at the very moment when letters of.introduction were being ordered for y ellzquez.tT In his letter of Septembei ZZ to his brother the Arch_ bishop, Averardo lfeaici ,o.rgh, i .f..rfy
two

Court), had been sent north to Susa to attend an inconclusive peace conference.16 OnJuly 2g, Averardo Medici

6;;;;;

u"t tr'J u"J.i c""., ,.",..ii ,fri,,;":,.", Averardo,s,",,..-o?nlL,i:,J;X,3t,J,..ili;;#lil'il"1i,

this, and a special messenger arrived ftom ti... ,.rrt ny the famous painter Rubens. He went to England under the pretext of his profession but is negotiating th"ese _urr".-r.,,rn At this stage in his .areeivetarq,r.. rrua [ttle of Rubens,s

kingdom. The English are

On September 3, 1629, while Velizquez was traveling in Spinola's entourage, Averardo sent ffited informadon on Rubens to State Secretary Andrea Cioli in Florence. ,,The Spanish, in order to attend to Italian matters without the distraction of England, h.u. .u.rrotre.ea to restore the Palatinate, which they hotd in o.a., to _ut e peace with that

wiltnf .lirr." to

;;:'i:;Tlf

Since art collecting and patronag.^ a lively international activity that linked the courts of 1a. E.r.op", ii off...a a convenient pretexr for high-level negotiations. This was especially the case during rhe late r620i and .u.ty roeo., when the chief European powers desperately ,o,rght u g..r".ut armistice and to achieve this retied on the dip;_;ri. ;kiil of ;;.;;';; cosmopolitan artists and amaieurs.ls " The architect and painter Sir Balthazar Gerbier served the nnglish govern_ ment,le the painter Sir peter p""f n"U.", the Flemish and Spanish,z0 and the connoisseur and collector Abbot Cesare Alessandro

rng under the cover of his artistic " .o.r....rr.

three weeks later, onsepteniber zz, toii,was State Secretary Ciolls o*^ .oo..p;;l;.., bound in with we therefore know that ir circurated i" trt. rrigtt"ri.phl.. of'the Florendne government.

Averardo Medici,
o

ty a p ainte._,n

Kinsphi,ipt;,illir1llll?;.i::fl j,'i":t jiln.j_ry;:

Spanish Netherlands. The foreig" fotlowed the Flemish painter,s "*U"rr"a.rs in Madrid ;;i;;;*rh the greatest interest, and they must have considered his example in the young^Spaniard,s pturrr. Or. September 24, ?.^r^.:riiC 1628, Ambassador Averardo U.alli

trip, Peter paul Rut

At the same time that

scagria the English,

""a Veliizqu;,,";-;;;"ging

sp""irrr,

piedmontese.2r

artist".and

"1 esteemed 6eu11ls1_4nd was to be received as such. Within these limits, however, h. ...o-_."1;';. most flatrering treatment, culminating in a grandducal commission and the bestowal of a chain o1 norri. *irfr-" p".r.ait medallion.25 Atti's letter to parma was remarkably similar in tone, empha_ sizing that yelilzquez_vt least in ,o.iut t.,

T'

ililT#:?'nfl::*x:::17

his Iratian

thus not a government problem.

,h. pu.-.san court, the ::,T]y parnter Giulio Cesare Amidano. The Venetian tlo..rrlgo tl.y:d things from a somewhat ditr;;.rr;;..spective, con_ cluding nonetheless that Veliizqu., rvu, _.i"ly a painter and
The Tuscan ambassadorvoiced

"m.ial b;. hjs opposite number u,

" p.if

who

.-J;;":n;X,.''#'#:

Domenico Pandolfini, rhe Tuscan Resident in Milan, ..The famed Flemish painter Rubens has arrived in fvfalrid with eight of his pictures for the King,s palace rr..".;tia*rardo wrore th-e next day, q.rutifyi"g hl, ,t"i._.rrt: ..The painrer lC?in Rubens has brought th." ".p"1lng "";;;;i;", of.peace and truce though it is seemingly pi.tJ.., ihut fr. nu, 2u

i"f..med

to the King and eueen aboui the level ",Tfi:tj:tl:i of courtesy he ,o.ry, as Averardo someperson",._0.;;::';J;l; ji,ffj"r#lshcapitarand
received in Florence. This was no idle Medici knewwell afte

chief * y"d:9, Vrtarqurrmight brag his those fe to

bro.rglrr

principle: every degree of status conceded to another was that much lost ro oneself.zo In Madrid itwould see;;;, the Medici had
ASF/Mp 5075. Seor. 2b; 1628.(.4. Medici ro D. pandol6ni): ,.ll pirtor Rubens ha porraro nrin<ipio a.jr.,ral.i,Ji.*Jl,ur,"n, di pace e tregua, benche in apparenza ASF/Mp 4956. fiol. 658. Sepr. 3. I629 (decoded inserl; A. Medici ro A. cioti): "Er per porer a,encter ,,'.gri.
21

Baroque ceremonial wa, barJd o., u=rirnpt"

16ASF/MP

I8J. H. Elliott, The Count-Duhe of Oliaares,New Haven, 1986, Z2?. For Sir Balr hazar Gerhier | 59 _16671, t, l see The Drtrcna Biography, vrr, 1968. I I 061 ry of National I 08; b. ri;;; .t,"n a arunarl and His '""'' "" '" Cirrlp, New Haven. 9g5. I 9+_95 ""d anJ l 9d 20 For Rubens's diplomaric u:l:ily. see G. Cr_uzad a Villaamil, Rubens, diplomatirc esltaio!. Madrid. ,t874:';.'i,.-cr".n'i1"" tstoirc politiqu? ct dip! o,m a t i q u e d e p i e ne - pa u I R u brrr. B;rr;ir.l;;;' paut nuinns,"ii."il ;.'M;*.", cambridge, vurr..;;d, Letters ojpeter rcs[!, 2f For Scaglia (d.
1s
? 1

to A. Medici). riAsF/Mp 4956, fols.6 05-614 (decoded insert)' July 28, 1629 MedicitoA. cioli).

495

7, Apr. 13,1629 (A. Cioli

23

(A.

hrtui;p;;;;;';;;;Yj:'
"ir.

-:it ;'ffi T:l; j,"' r" F"" u' "' ii,,i.'il' i. r p"r", -"i.,' ii . :Hf,fl3Tffi .fi#: jl,--.lff iidr:13.lli*iil;i!.s:r'ff In gh rra
L"l'

;";;:i;i;,

,.n,

diversione

164

l).

see

i;;:;:;i:;:;:;)P
il"a."l

ortrat t,G atte v'

O. Millar, Vun
I gs

z-s

s,

N"',r"" 22 ASF/MP 5025, Seot. 24 I 62 g. (A. M^edici to D. pandolfi ni) :,,f arrivato in Madrid il Rubens hamingo, pinror,r

:;ri:;:;y"'nd

chitd' (Van Dvck)

?.. t i -i

Dyrh

in Engtand,exh. cal.,

^a 1r"*ti"g i" For;,,' roi,

c.

ow

n.

rh i

For the implications of sLrch a commission and the honorific paymenr, see E. Goldberv. pattutns * t"r, Uiiia iri patronage, form of prince_ Writing lrom Spain in I ig-l rhe Venerian ,. Morosini invoked this formuta: "A sreat deat of thought;;;;;ffi;;,ion t u, ,o precisely be given to addressing u [..ron *irt,,raror'ir'*il*'rlilii,,J;ii""or. tu or c!. one arways keeps in mind thar a'ihe raken away Iiom oneselL" Cired byJusri in Veltizquez. s..a
26

25

"n"

,..uF;"r.,;;#:",*, ll fi :f .?1? i:

iI t

sotto

p'i

te

to

ton. t983.47-48, l0B_t0b. 193. and 32i.

H:frllj!,";#i'.: $:,:::;ln ::*:l:ili, pei seruizio d' in ASF/MP 4e56, uPP.u" rol' 2l e,'s;;t. zs, rcia (A. i4#;;
'i:'i'91!'

;;;;; ;; ;;';: 'a;;il;;,,;

t.;;;;;;;;;;"l,il^,, ;d., 8..;.

rc22,zgt.

456

THE ART BULLETIN SEPTEMBER 1992 VOLUME LXXIV NUMBER

no status to spare. Though they were ostensibly sovereign princes, Tuscany was in effect a Spanish clienr state. Tf,e King occupied the strategic Tuscan enclave of pontremoli,zl and the Grand Duke owed him feudal dues for the province of Siena. Medici political f611uns5-5uch as thev derived largely from their position in the Spanish.ph... und from Spanish recognition of their titles and prerogatives.?8 Etiquette was an agonizing trial for u-Lur.uJor, "u"ry_ where and probably nowhere more so than at the court of Madrid. Though an apparently rigid ceremonial prevailed, royal favorites like the Count-Duke Olivares made up their
disadvantage, and even in Italy Spanish titles and Spanish pretentions were generally accorded an inflated value. Diego Veliizquez's social aspirations might well have been stimulated by Peter paul Rubens's visit to Madrid in i62g_ 29, just before his own trip.2e The Italianized Flemingso was accredited at court as a royal ambassador; he had received a patent of nobility in 1624 and was named Secretanr of the Council of Flanders in April of 1629. Such grandiose reat_ ment was exceptional for an artist anywhere, and in socially conservative Madrid it was little less than startling.3l One of the few incontrovertible points ..gu.di.rg yel6z_ quez's career and character is that he was a determined social
own rules. Foreigners in Spain found themselves at a constant

Though the Italians entertained profound ambivalencies toward their Spanish cousins, the first adjective that came ro their minds in describing them, after ;,proud,,, was most pro!{]f "grasping." For an experienced diplomat, this would have been especially evident in Madrid where the
seen to have reached epidemic proportions, perhaps due to the perennial difficulty in collecting salaries flom the King.3a The powerful and resented ,,presenter of the Ambassadors-,,35 levied what was in effect a substantial tax on access to the

genteel bribery that characterized European court life was

royal presence, and even minor officials expected a regular

disbursement of gifrs and gratuiries.36

able and institutionalized. While rraveling

Eliciting such gifts and gratuities (or and "gentrlezze," as they were elegantly termed) was thus honor_

,,cortesie,,

pro16g6 of the King and the Count-Duke, Oi.go yei6,zque, might have anticipated his fair share, particulaily if he were approached-as he surely must have been_for information and insights on affairs in Spain.

in Italy as a

. h_. Yel|zquez a spy? During his trip, the painter would have been well placed to overhear Italian courigossip and to
assess

climber and a remarkably successful one. He lobbied dog_ gedly for court positions, withdrawing eventually from th"e relatively plebeian art of painting forlhe suke oi a Knight_ hood of Santiago.3z Since status ln court society wu, d."t.._ 3i:-.d largely by precedenr and usage, any ambiguity in
Vel6zquez's position at the Medici Courl could have had wide

repercussions.

addressed

him as "your

experience of the peculiar culture of the Madrid Court.

princely patrons. The neck-chain and medal p.opor.i by the Tuscan Ambassador would have been a typlcit ca.".3! The Parmesan diplomat,s warning, however, probably also reflected general Italian prejudices and his own immediate

The Ambassador of parma cautioned that Diego V elazquez had his eye on a harvest of gifts. As painter of the Chamber to the King of Spain, yellzquezmightwell have looked forward to honorific "gifts in payment" for works executed in Italv for

florence, the Tuscan Ambassador irrMadrid woulJ probably have been compelled to follow suit, establishing in ,rr.., u precedent for other ambassadors and courtiers.

If the Grand Duke of Tuscany, for example, Lord ship" (Vostra Signorial in

merely a cover for Veldzquez,s secret miision. Diego Veldzquez was a brilliantly resourceful painter and 1629-31 was a crucial phase in his artistic devel'opment, as demonstrated by the ambitious works he created on Italian soil and in Spain soon after his return. In the seventeenth century, however, artistic dedication need not have ruled out other activities. Like yelilzquez's contemporaries, we should be attenrive to the possibility that these activities might have included social-climbing, gift-collecting, and perhap, even a bit of amiable spying.
Edward L. Goldberg receiaed a doctorate in art history from Oxford. and has taught at Haraard,. An independ,ent sciolar

out his travels, he was in close touch with the local Spanlsh authorities and would certainly have reported to them anything of interest that came his way. The parmesan Ambassador was thus quite right that Amidani should watch his tongue-though mistaken in implying thar art was

prevailing attitudes toward Spanish interests. Through_

based

both Princeton [Jniuer.sity press [10 East plaza Street, Broohlynt, N.Y. 112381).

lnia_nsity in Neu Yorh and, Florence, he is the authoi o/parterns in Late Medici Art patronage (19g3) awl After Vasari (l9gg;

'the r'-_Goldber,g, "spanish

1992.
28

History ol Cigoli's Errc Homo.',

Taste, Medici politics and a Losr Chapter in

Bu

il i r;gio;- Mo; ;ozrre. cxrxrv.

Feb.

whelming reliance on waning:Spa"iri

misconceived and badly realiz*ed poticy claims.
2e

F. Diaz, Il Grand,ucato d,i Toscana.: I Medici, Turin, 1926, 2lSt_4A5. these years. the Medici were jusr beginning i;;;;";;J;.-;rr"ir"*..1

p"*?.,1".","rffy

o'f

optirrg fo. u UaUnci"g S;u"irl, urrd French

(as
30

For Rubens in Madrid and his association with Veliizquez, see Brown in n. 2).65-68.

32 See

987;.letters 148-t b7, I 60-l 7 I ). In Madrid, Rubens's accreditation as ambassadorwas hotly contestecl; many in the government saw his appoinrment as highly irripp.op.iui" and even insulting to the Spanish i.o*rl. Se. Elli"it?;, in n. lB above).
I
31

Rubens corresponded with the Count-Duke Olivares in Italian and ITryug_. at the Spanish .o,..r, or.lr" a Spurrirfr_ Paolo Rubens: Leitere ltaliane, ed. I. Cotta, Rome, It?lt3n

33 There is no indication that Veldzquezrvas awarded honorific gifts of this kind during his 1629-31 trip to Iraly. a..o.ai"g to palomino, he received a gold neck chain with a portiait m.aaiiSn ol.Innocent X Pamphili in the aftermath of his 1649_5.1 tlp in return for paintingthe Pope's portrait. A. palomino, Liaes of the Ekinent ipanlsh painters and. Srulptort. Cambridge. 1986, l5g. 3a On Nov. 19, 1630, Averardo Medici reported orr the woetll indigence rhe gi fted Tuscan lf^"""jlTl, Ljourt, ".". . trovarsi in en giire.. u.,J tfr.ut.i.uf a.ri gfi .; ui tne bpanrsh necessiti, non havendo di che"vivere, perche il Re n-o_n_paga nessuno.,'ASF/MP 495g, Nov. lg, 1630 (M. Baglione ro A. Cioli).

t:"i,

l.l.,,b^*L:p..k.,:hl, prdgln. (Pietro

'j e -l Loomie, "The Cond,ucteur des Ambassad,ezrrs o1. Seventeenth 9:lj"?^I.ll:e and Spain,', Reaue Belge de phitotogie et d,Histoire, uu, r 975. 333_356.
The Tuscan.agents in Madrid had to explain this curious local custom again ro their government in Fiorence, usually at tf." ti-. oi 1,C.lT,Td I hetr submtltlng expense accounl s.
36

Brown,

2|l-2b7.