Archduke Ferdinand II of Austria: A Second-Born Son in Renaissance Europe ed. by Sylva Dobalová and Jaroslava Hausenblasová (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Archduke Ferdinand II of Austria: A Second-Born Son in Renaissance Europe ed. by Sylva Dobalová and Jaroslava Hausenblasová Robyn Dora Radway Sylva Dobalová and Jaroslava Hausenblasová, eds., Archduke Ferdinand II of Austria: A Second-Born Son in Renaissance Europe. Vienna: Austrian Academy of Sciences, 2021. 569 pp. Archduke Ferdinand II of Tyrol (d. 1595), known primarily for his exceptional Kunstkammer housed at Schloss Ambras, has been the subject of renewed interest in the past decade. Much of this research was supported by a generous grant from the Czech Science Foundation, which allowed an international team of scholars to join forces with the Institute for Art History of the Czech Academy of Sciences. This transnational project, which followed the archduke's career from Prague to Innsbruck and his visits to Speyer and Brussels, sought to overcome the national historiographies that had carved up previous research on his life into seemingly irreconcilable slices. Like most other Central European figures, our understanding of his activities had suffered from a fragmented research landscape divided by linguistic and political boundaries defined in the twentieth century. The grant project resulted in a major exhibition in 2017/2018, which was accompanied by two catalogues, one available in English and German and another expanded version available only in Czech. Archduke Ferdinand II of Austria: A Second-Born Son in Renaissance Europe builds on and complements these catalogues by offering the first significant series of scholarly studies of the archduke and his activities in the English language. It is composed of twenty-three essays bookended by an introduction and conclusion. The essays examine the archduke as a central figure in sixteenth-century Central European culture, highlighting the threads that connected his personal life and his objects across the continent and around the globe. [End Page 99] As a collector, creator, investor, and inventor, the archduke's activities were wide-ranging and extraordinarily well documented. The introduction provides a historiographical overview and brief summaries of each contribution. The first chapter ties the volume together by surveying the processes that shaped Archduke Ferdinand II of Tyrol's biography and his place between the Renaissance and the Baroque. The volume then offers an interdisciplinary set of case studies that engage with comparative methods while remaining deeply rooted in archival sources. The articles are grouped thematically: court culture, architecture, fine arts, humanism, and collections. Many contributions speak across these themes, often approaching the same sources (like inventories, payroll documents, travel narratives, correspondence, and broadsheets) to ask very different questions. For example, inventories are naturally at the core of Kuster's detailed study of inventory-taking processes following the Archduke's death and Sandbichler's and Bukovinská's essays on the reconstruction of the Kunstkammer and its redistributions using digital tools. Inventories also assist Hrbatý's study of the court armorer's workshop in Prague, while Gschwend studies the networks used to acquire exotic items via Italy and the Iberian Peninsula, Seidl surveys the botanical varieties represented inside and outside the palace walls (including the kitchens), and Muchka analyzes Archduke Ferdinand II of Tyrol's architectural legacy beyond his residences. This deep engagement with sources from many angles and supported by an array of additional documents is a great strength of the volume. Several personalities also emerge around the archduke that deserve mention. Lynch's article on Bonifaz Wolmut and Fučíková's article on Hans Tirol pair well to examine the role of finances, personality, and learned discourses in the decisions made during the construction work that led to the employment of Prague's characteristic mixing of architectural styles. This theme is introduced by Uličný's careful study of the works undertaken in the Prague Castle during the archduke's governorship. As a whole, the volume represents Archduke Ferdinand II of Tyrol as a multifaceted patron of not only armor and palaces but also music, portraiture, sculpture, fountains, poetry, glasswork, the medical sciences, and experimental botany. This result is a must-have volume for any library interested in Central European history. Several of the essays will also be useful for teaching advanced students in early modern history. Finally, I would like to praise the Austrian Academy of Sciences Press...