The precious and beautiful collection of the Quirinal clocks is on display at the Palazzo until July 47st and is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to see up close XNUMX of the most significant examples of the vintage clocks belonged to Savoy which in Rome consists of over 200 pieces.
It is, for the most part, about french mantel clocks, to reaffirm a stylistic predilection in key with that cultural and political affinity that has always linked the Savoyard court to its cousins beyond the Alps. The tour itinerary, accompanied and illustrated by Volunteers of the Italian Touring Club which for years have ensured their supervision and support also at the Palazzo del Quirinale, unfolds according to a chronological path which goes from late XNUMXth century to the end of the XIX.
It is difficult to say whether the fascination that these precious objects exert derives from their being scientific instruments for measuring time of historical value or from the shapes and decorations that are harmoniously expressed in the materials, in the inlays, in the themes chosen by the craftsman who composed the work.
It will be an opportunity to revisit mythological tales, allegories and themes suggested from room to room by willing companions, who will also reveal small hidden curiosities. Along the visit itinerary, a short video sequence introduces us to the extremely competent watchmakers of the Palace who, together with the cabinet makers, take care of the constant maintenance of the precious instruments and, when necessary, also of their restoration.
Exclusive objects of the prestigious furniture of the nobles, they are themselves a testimony of the time and of the taste, so that the ornate passes from the elaborate inlays of the era of Louis XIV, from the Regency Style and the Louis XV Style, to the Empire Style of neoclassical taste, up to the revival of the motifs of the Louis XV style.
If up to now all these period clocks have offered themselves as a component of the furnishings of the historic Quirinal palace, and therefore risked being lost because they were submerged in the rich scenography of the palace furnishings and its decorations, including tapestries, stuccos and extraordinary accompanying the rooms on the main floor, now they have the opportunity to show themselves in monographic themed form to finally be seen up close.
The watches therefore take back the scene, allowing themselves to be accompanied, this time, by interesting ones engravings of an ancient Italian printed edition of the Encyclopédie of Diderot and D'Alembert, with numerous cross-sections and open versions of the mechanisms and internal components of the watches, just enough to remind the observer of the scientific rigor of the complex mechanisms that are at the service of a watch after the more immediate aesthetic seductions of the various settings.
It is good to know that all the clocks displayed in the exhibition can be traced back to what was a sort of "dressing" of the United Italy Palace wanted in Rome by the Parliament and created through a series of "contributions" solicited from the various pre-unification palaces, now only secondary residences. And yet there is even an example, of the tower type, overlooked by the Pope, in the exodus from the Quirinal headquarters, and which adorned a dining room.
There is undoubtedly, and always, a wholly personal relationship that binds each individual to his watch, whether it's a wrist or table watch, and it's not such a mysterious bond, given that the watch is the metronome of everyone's life. of every moment lived, whatever its pathos, and this is enough to understand and not be surprised by how widespread this passion for watches is, until we discover how many Presidents of the Republic have had theirs favorite time markers.
A punctual and complete catalogue, edited by Marco Lattanzi, does justice to those who want to go beyond the vision of beauty and have historical files and rigorous references, as well as accurate photographic documentation.
Until July XNUMXst, but here, among these marvelous timekeepers, it is appropriate to say "those who have time, don't wait for time".
