Luigi Valadier (1726–1785)
Clock for Don Abbondio Rezzonico, 1765–70
Gilt bronze, shagreen, and other materials
clock, 26 3/4 × 11 3/4 × 6 3/4 in. (68 × 30 × 17 cm);
bracket, 12 5/8 × 13 3/8 × 8 5/8 in. (32 × 34 × 22 cm)
Private collection
Valadier designed this clock for the nephew of Pope Clement XIII, Abbondio Rezzonico, who was made senator of Rome in June 1765. A representation of the she-wolf, the symbol of the city of Rome, decorates the top, and the Rezzonico family coat of arms is at the bottom. The clock is adorned with gilt bronze and green shagreen (zigrino in Italian), a leather covering often made from the skin of a shark or ray.