63 - Wooden night clock with an architectural case, Rome, 17th century

Wooden night clock with an architectural case, Rome, 17th century 51 x 37 x 14 cm topped by a pediment with a broken tympanum and lateral buttresses with volute ends, typical of the Baroque style. The central panel is painted in oil on copper with a figurative scene, accompanied by openings for the hours in Roman numerals. The graceful painting on the dial depicts Saint Dominic on the left engaged in a silent dialogue with the Infant Jesus, seated on the lap of the enthroned Virgin Mary, and Saint Joseph on the right. The Virgin’s features recall the delicate portraits painted by Pierre Mignard (1612–1695) during his twenty-year stay in Rome in the first half of the 17th century (which earned him the nickname “Mignard Le Romain”). In Rome, the artist was drawn to the chromatic influence of Pietro da Cortona, which he combined with his study of the Bolognese masters active in the city.