The article discusses a series of previously unknown letters dating from
the 1530s, which deal with the commissioning of several pieces of
silverware crafted in Rome after drawings by Giulio Romano on behalf of
Cardinal Ercole Gonzaga and his brother Ferrante Gonzaga, who were then
living in Mantua and in Sicily respectively. This documentary material
reveals the complexities of long-distance patronage and emphasizes the
importance of the role played by diplomatic agents acting as artistic
intermediaries. The latter were required to negotiate the multiple
functional and representative needs of their patrons and to handle the
practicalities of the commission, making sure that goldsmiths were honest
and faithful to Giulio's graphic inventions, and that the objects matched
the expectations of their patrons. In order to perform their duties
honourably, intermediaries intervened at every stage of the production of
the objects they were entrusted to have made and in one of the cases
discussed in the article, the Gonzaga agents even involved Michelangelo in
evaluating the style and appropriateness of Giulio Romano's drawings for a
ceremonial mace. In conclusion, the article aims at deepening our
understanding of the patronage of art works and ultimately calls into
question the notion of the authorship of art objects such as those
discussed in the Gonzaga correspondence, which appear to be the result of
the participation of a number of different persons, including the patrons
who initially expressed their wish to possess them, the master who invented
them, other artists who were occasionally consulted on the form they should
take, the goldsmiths who had to execute them, and especially the artistic
agents, who had to coordinate and supervise the whole production process.