Lot 1135 | Portrait of a Man with Table Clock

A young man, probably in his early twenties, is portrayed in the present painting and presents us with his right arm a magnificent table clock with the mark in the centre of the dial, which, however, is not fully legible or decipherable. The top of the clock is decorated with a bearded man's head, possibly alluding to Chronos, the god of time of the ancient Greeks. Not only does the portrayed nobleman proudly display the magnificent golden object, but with his left hand, which points to the dial, he seems to be warning against the relentless passage of time. Although the subject of the painting is difficult to identify, there is no doubt that this young man could be a watchmaker. The very elegant maroon tailcoat, closed by golden buttons on a red background, the white silk shirt with frills and wide sleeves, and the long white wig tied with a black bow suggest that the young man could be a watchmaker and, moreover, a member of the aristocratic class.
The painting's excellent state of preservation and museum-like pictorial quality is evident not only in the subtle vividness of the figure but also in the refined lighting that enlivens the background. We do not know the artist by name, but he is certainly a Venetian painter of great skill, probably active in the mid-18th century. Comparisons for this work can be made with some portraits by Alessandro Longhi, a true specialist of this genre in Venice. The particularly high quality of the work also brings to mind his father Pietro Longhi, famous for the scenes from the life of the Venetian aristocracy, whose figures are very similar to our young gentleman with the clock.