attained the position of court antiquary and was instru-
mental in obtaining for the emperors all manner of antiq-
uities, books, and objets d’art. TITIAN’s portrait of Strada
(1567/68) shows him holding an antique statuette, with a
torso and ancient coins on the table before him. He was
also the possessor of a remarkable library, said to have
comprised over 3000 volumes in 13 languages. At his
death he left numerous manuscripts dealing with antiqui-
ties and problems in mechanics; his work on various sorts
of mill was published in part by his grandson in 1617.
Strada’s daughter Katharina was for many years the mis-
tress of Rudolf II and bore him several children.
Stradano, Giovanni See STRAET, JAN VAN DER
stradiotti Cavalrymen from various parts of the Balkans,
employed by Venice to guard her sea empire. They were
usually posted away from their homes because they also
performed policing duties. Armed with lances, scimitars,
and shields, the stradiotti fought bravely and loyally for
Venice in various Italian wars during the 16th century and
became the republic’s main protection. They were much
admired by European rulers and were also employed in
Germany and France in the 16th century. From the mid-
16th century stradiotti helped to maintain law and order
on the Venetian mainland.
Straet, Jan van der (Giovanni Stradano) (1523–1605)
Netherlands painter and designer of tapestries
Born in Bruges and a pupil of Pieter AERTSEN, van der
Straet became a master in 1545. Shortly afterward he trav-
eled via Lyons and Venice to Florence, where he joined
VASARI’s circle. There he assisted Vasari in the decoration
of the Palazzo Vecchio and designed tapestries, the most
important of which was a series of hunting scenes for the
Medici villa of Poggio a Caiano (1567). Although he was
based in Florence, he also visited Rome and Naples and
even returned to the Netherlands between 1576 and 1578.
His early works reveal the impress of his northern training
but his later style was heavily conditioned by that of
Vasari.
Strasbourg (German Strassburg) A French city on the
River Rhine, formerly one of the German imperial free
cities until seized by Louis XIV in 1681. As Argentorate,
Strasbourg was a Roman legionary camp on the site of a
Celtic settlement. The Franks took control in the late fifth
century and gave it its present name. Prolonged struggles
between Strasbourg’s citizens and its bishop were eventu-
ally settled in the mid-13th century, and its status as an
imperial free city was firmly established. It was in Stras-
bourg that GUTENBERG, who lived in the city for about 18
years from 1430, began his experiments with type; by
1460 there was a printing press there. Humanism reached
Strasbourg at the end of the 15th century, when its leading
light was Sebastian BRANT. From 1523 it was an important
early center of the Reformation, piloted through the up-
heavals and controversies of the following years by Martin
BUCERand Jakob STURM. Katharina ZELLwas notable for
her work on behalf of the many Protestant refugees who
fled there as religious persecution grew in adjacent terri-
tories.Strigel, Bernhard(in) (1460–1528) German painter
Trained by his father and uncle in his home town of Mem-
mingen, Strigel first worked on their altars for Disentis
and Obersaxen. His work of the 1490s reveals the influ-
ence of BOUTSand Bartholomäus Zeitblom (1455/60–
1518/22) of Ulm. By 1499 he had come into contact with
Emperor Maximilian I, whom he painted many times. In
Memmingen Strigel held a number of municipal and guild
offices and even served as an ambassador. He also contin-
ued to paint religious pictures, such as the wings of the
Schussenried altarpiece (c. 1515; Berlin). Strigel never en-
tirely outgrew his original late Gothic style, which served
him well in profile portraits. His court portraits have an al-
most heraldic monumentality of form but little psycho-
logical intimacy.Strigel, Victorinus (1524–1569) German evangelical
theologian
Strigel was born at Kaufbeuren, near Kempten, and edu-
cated at Fribourg and Wittenberg, where he was influ-
enced by Philipp MELANCHTHON. He taught at Erfurt, and
in 1548 was appointed first professor and rector of the sec-
ondary school (gymnasium) at Jena. He worked with Jus-
tus JONAS, opposed the stricter forms of Lutheranism, and
lectured on Melanchthon’s Loci communes. In 1563 he was
appointed professor at Leipzig and in 1567 at Heidelberg.
He was the author of a commentary on the Bible and of
philological and historical works.Striggio, Alessandro (c. 1540–1592) Italian composer
and lira da gamba player
Of noble birth, Striggio was a leading composer in the
Medici court in Florence in the 1560s, where he collabo-
rated with other composers to provide INTERMEDIIfor
great festivities. His fame spread, as in 1568 his 40-part
motet Ecce beatam lucem was sung at the marriage of Duke
Albrecht IV of Bavaria. The patronage of music at the
Medici court declined in the 1570s, and little is known of
Striggio’s activities at this time. In 1584 he visited the
court at Ferrara, and later that year returned to his native
Mantua, where he remained until his death, patronized by
both the Gonzaga and Medici. Striggio was a virtuoso lira
da gamba player, but it is for his madrigals that he is
chiefly renowned. Often highly descriptive, they were
much admired abroad. His son, Alessandro the younger
(1573–1630), also served the Gonzaga and was a friend of
MONTEVERDI.44552 2 SSttrraaddaannoo,, GGiioovvaannnnii