Maria Giovanna Clementi (Torino 1692-1761)

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 the   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.   FULL DETAILS DIRECTLY ON OUR WEBSITE (link)   The effigy of this fascinating male portrait is King Vittorio Amedeo II of Savoy, depicted in ceremonial armor and red cloak according to traditional court iconography, represented in a half-bust pose in slight three-quarters view, with the 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 effigy, the sovereign is immortalized with the symbolic attributes of the power of the dynasty, which can be identified in the ancient crown of the Kingdom of Sardinia, in the scepter with the Mauritian cross and in the necklace of the Supreme Order of the Santissima Annunziata, established in 1364 by Amedeo VI, as the highest honor of the House of Savoy.   A very interesting detail is the inscription, on the jewel, of the Savoyard motto ‘FERT’, whose meaning is still controversial today: according to the official interpretation, it is the acronym of "Fodere Et Religione Tenimur" for the commitment of the Savoy in spreading the Christian faith, and also "Fortitudo Ejus Rhodum Tenuit”, which would allude to the participation of the Savoy in the Crusades, "Fides Est Regni Tutela" (faith is the protector of the Kingdom), although the most imaginative 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 in the profitable production of the workshops active for the house of Savoy.   The good workmanship and pictorial quality suggest that the painting belongs to the circle of official portrait painters of the court, in particular Maria Giovanna Clementi, known as la Clementina. The stylistic data of the painting confirm the orientation in the Franco-Frammish direction of court portraiture, linked to Clementina and her circle.   Cycles dedicated to the Dukes of Savoy, and then Kings of Sardinia, and eventually to their consorts, were very common not only in the royal residences, but also in the homes of the court nobility as an evident sign of loyalty to the sovereign dynasty.   CONSERVATION:    The work is presented in a good state of conservation, with scattered old touch-ups. The painting is completed by a pleasant gilded wooden frame, not coeval.   Follow us on:   https://www.instagram.com/galleriacastelbarco/?hl=it https://www.facebook.com/galleriacastelbarco/