The patronage activity of Ottavio Piccolomini (1599-1656) lends itself as a case worthy of inquiry with regard to the role of mobility in shaping Piccolomini's socio-political persona as an Italian nobleman living in a European context. A scion of a famous Sienese family and a subject of the Medici dukes, Piccolomini had to fashion an identity as a soldier, courtier, and patron across Europe from his youth. This article will consider his rise within the Habsburg area of influence, his displacements between Italy, the Imperial court, Bohemia, the Low Countries, and Spain and the consequent processes of adaptation to these geopolitical contexts and socio-cultural milieux.

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