| Abstrakt: |
Abstract: The article deals with the Archduke Ferdinand of Tyrol's relationship to astrology. Taking the example of the Archduke's horoscope prepared by the astronomer Cyprian Leowitz, it demonstrates the extent to which documents like this may have reflected the psychological characteristics of the person in question. The principal building founded by the Archduke, the Star (Hvězda) Summer Palace, is examined from the viewpoint of astrology, and the article establishes that, unusually for the time, its foundation did not take place under a favourable constellation. There is an evident discrepancy between the Archduke's interest in his own horoscope and his lack of interest in fixing a date for starting work on the Summer Palace on the basis of astrological considerations, in spite of the fact that an astral theme is present in both the name and the ground plan of the Star building. This discrepancy is explained through an analysis of the epigram accompanying Ferdinand's portrait in the collection Imagines gentis Austriacae (1558), where the ruler is compared to a sage who rules over the stars. |
