Maria Giovanna Battista Clementi known as La Clementina (Turin, 1692 – Turin, 1761), Attributable to
Portrait of Vittorio Amedeo II of Savoy (Turin 1666 – Moncalieri 1732) King of Sardinia, Duke of Savoy, Marquis of Saluzzo and Duke of
Monferrato, Prince of Piedmont and Count of Aosta, Moriana and Nice from 1675 to 1720.
Oil on oval canvas, 79 x 62 cm., in frame 98 x 82 cm.
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The subject of this fascinating male portrait is King Vittorio Amedeo II of Savoy, depicted in ceremonial armor and red mantle according to traditional courtly iconography, shown from the bust in a slight three-quarter view, with a towering "courtly" wig, according to the dictates of fashion of the first decades of the century, of French inspiration.
In order to represent the power embodied in our austere subject, the sovereign is immortalized with the symbolic attributes of the House's power, identifiable in the ancient crown of the Kingdom of Sardinia, in the scepter with the Mauritian cross, and in the collar of the Supreme Order of the Most Holy Annunciation, instituted in 1364 by Amedeo VI, as the highest honor of the House of Savoy.
A very interesting detail is the inscription on the necklace of the Savoy motto 'FERT', the meaning of which is still controversial today: according to the official interpretation, it is the acronym of "Fodere Et Religione Tenimur" which is for the commitment of the Savoys in spreading the Christian faith; and also "Fortitudo Ejus Rhodum Tenuit" which alludes to the participation of the Savoys in the Crusades, "Fides Est Regni Tutela" (faith is the protector of the Kingdom), although the most fanciful and ironic was ''Fomina Erit Ruina Tua'' (woman will be your ruin).
Datable to the late 17th century, it is historically and culturally to be placed within the fruitful production of the workshops active for the House of Savoy.
Its good craftsmanship and pictorial quality suggest that the painting belongs to the circle of official court portraitists, particularly Maria Giovanna Clementi, known as La Clementina. The stylistic features of the painting confirm the orientation in the Franco-Flemish direction of court portraiture, linked to Clementina and her circle.
Cycles dedicated to the Dukes of Savoy, and later Kings of Sardinia, and possibly their consorts, were widespread not only in royal residences but also in the homes of the court nobility as a clear sign of loyalty to the ruling dynasty.
PRESERVATION:
The work is presented in a good state of preservation, with old scattered retouches. The painting is completed by a pleasant, non-contemporary gilded wooden frame.
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