Ambrosius Petruzzy

Ambrosius Petruzzy (died 1652 in Kaisersteinbruch) was an Italian master stonemason and baroque sculptor.

Life

In December 1640 master Francesco Maderno and his wife Maria sold their house with garden to master Ambrosius and Lucia Petruzzy. Petruzzy had been a member of the Brothership of Stonemasons for a long time, because in the same year he lead the stonemason's and bricklayer's "Viertellade" in the imperial stonepit.

In the 1640s the Vienna mason's lodge energetically demanded of Kaisersteinbruch's masters to separate from the Wiener Neustadt guild and to turn to the Viennese one, otherwise they would get problems with their Viennese appointments. A letter of the Viennese master stonemason to abbot Michael Schnabel of Abbey Heiligenkreuz as authority in March 1641 regarding that fact: "...Heiligenkreuz' subject Ambrosius Petruzzy, who was banished from Klosterneuburg, now has established a factory in front of the Carinthia-gate..."

Master in Kaisersteinbruch and Vienna at the same time

The following masters were at the same time members of the Viennese lodge and of Kaisersteinbruch's brothership. In the record of November 1644 the fees for Viennese stonemasons, as well as for journeymen, for the levy of the New Imperial Liberties are regulated. A master 45 Kreuzer, a journeyman 15 Kreuzer. Hence:
* Pietro Maino Maderno pays for himself and four journeymen ... 1 Gulden 45 Kreuzer
* Hieronymus Bregno pays for himself and 1 journeyman (Francesco della Torre) ... 1 Gulden
* Ambrosius Petruzzy pays on September 5 for himself and 2 journeymen ... 1 Gulden 15 Kreuzer
* Antonius Purisol pays on July 31 for himself and 2 journeymen ... 1 Gulden 15 Kreuzer

Too high lease of the stonepit

In March 1643 Petruzzy wrote a petition to the abbot: "...the administrator wants annual 20 Gulden interest for my small stonepit, ... other subjects owning far larger stonepits have to pay not more than 2 Gulden 30 Kreuzer..." The abbot decided, that every year he has to pay 15 Reichstaler or give a nice door framework (which comes up to the half sum).

Petruzzy receives the order of the Michael Church in Vienna

In May 1644 the Viennese lodge decided, regarding the conflict between the masters Ambrosius Petruzzy and Antonius Purisol, both of Kaisersteinbruch, that master Petruzzy should solely obtain the lodge of St. Michael's Church. Henceforward, neither is one master permitted to have two lodges, nor are two masters allowed in one lodge.

In October 1644 the Viennese lodge announced: ... master stone mason Giacomo Provino ("Jacopo Provin") from monastery Spital am Pyhrn requests sending his son Andreas Provin for the next three years as an apprentice to master stone mason Ambrosius Petruzzy, citizen of Vienna. Before he had learned "three and a half" years from himself, "but due to weakness of the body he is sure to pass away.

In 1652 Ambrosius Petruzzy died, he left debts; so the whole stonepit was handed over to his brother Domenicus Petruzzy, who paid the debts.

Opus

*1630–1634: Forchtenstein Castle,
*1640: Klosterneuburg,
*1641: at the Carinthia Gate of Viennese city wall,
*1644: St. Michael's Church in Vienna, stonemason work, vespers image in the chapel, stairs.

Literature

"All references are in German."
* Michaelerkirche, "Rechnungsbuch Vesperbildkapelle ab 1639".
* Wiener Stadt- und Landesarchiv, "Steinmetzakten, Ereignisprotokolle 1644".
* Archive of Abbey Heiligenkreuz, "Register, " ....
* Helmuth Furch, Mitteilungen des Museums- und Kulturvereines Kaisersteinbruch, vol. 24, pp 7-14, February 1993 "Steinmetzmeister, die in Wien und Kaisersteinbruch tätig waren, Ambrosius Petruzzy."
* Max Pfister and B. Anderes, "Repertorium der Tessiner Künstler. Der vergessene größte Kulturbeitrag der Schweiz an Europa", 2 volumes, 1994.
* Helmuth Furch, "Die Viertellade des Steinmetz- und Maurerhandwerkes im kaiserlichen Steinbruch am Leithaberg in ihrer Beziehung zur Wiener Hauptlade, 17.-18. Jh.", in IV. Internationales Handwerksgeschichtliches Symposium Veszprém, 9-11 November 1994, ed. by the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, Budapest/Veszprém 1995, pp 99-102.
* Helmuth Furch, "Historisches Lexikon Kaisersteinbruch", 2 vol. 2002-2004.