Abstract
Inspiration for the chateau in Bučovice probably came from Italy through Jan Šemberaʼs contacts with the imperial antiquarian Jacopo Strada, who was based in Vienna. The Room of the Five Senses, which has hitherto been linked solely with models from the Netherlands, has been chosen as an example of the dissemination of Italian compositions.
The ceiling of the room is divited into five sections with allegories of Sight, Hearing, Taste, Smell, and Touch. The models for them were prints by Raphael Sadeler the Elder.
However, in the room there are also two neglected scenes from Roman history, above the door and opposite to it. In the past they were correctly idetified as The Rape of the Sabines and Mucius Scaevola Before King Porsena, but apart from this they have not been studied in any way.
The paintings of The Rape of the Sabines and Mucius Scaevola Before Porsena were done in monochrome. Paintings with the same subject matter and using the same technique can also be found on the facade of the Palazzo Ricci in Rome, which was decorated by Polidoro da Caravaggio and his assistant Maturino da Firenze in the 1520s.
However, nothing can be deduced from the present appearance of the Palazzo Ricci, because the paintings were repainted by Luigi Fontana at the end of the 19th century. Fortunately a large number of drawings, and prints based on them, have been preserved, which throw more light on Polidoroʼs original execution and intention.
The Roman scenes in Bučovice can also be considered to be an interpretation of the decorations of the Palazzo Ricci, since with slight differences they portray two episodes from the palace in Rome. The basis for them was probably a drawing or drawings that were passed on to Jan Šembera by Jacopo Strada, who was staying in the formerʼs chateau just at the time when the painting of the interiors was being planned.
The route followed by the source of inspiration thus led from Rome via Vienna to Bučovice.