An Italian cream painted and parcel-gilt bracket clock, Turin, circa 1790

This clock, featuring an array of intricately carved mouldings in relief, is a significant example of neoclassicism in Turin and a notable addition to the works of Piedmontese sculptor, carver, and cabinet maker Giuseppe Maria Bonzanigo (1745-1820). The exceptional quality of the sculpture, from the foliate frieze beneath the dial to the winged figure on the bracket, strongly suggests that it is the work of Bonzanigo. His craftsmanship is a hallmark of an era when carving was as prominent as marquetry.

Giuseppe Maria Bonzanigo is celebrated for producing some of the finest neoclassical furniture. Originating from Piedmont, he settled in Turin in 1773, where he earned the patronage of the royal family and Victor Amadeus III, King of Savoy. A close examination of his work—spanning furniture and decorative art pieces—reveals his distinctive use of ornament and friezes, which helps in attributing new masterpieces to his impressive body of work.

First and foremost, the frieze at the top of this clock, with an elongated oval alternating with two beads, is a distinctive element uniquely associated with Bonzanigo’s work. This particular frieze appears on a pair of cream and green painted corner cupboards by Bonzanigo that were once in the Castle of Moncalieri, in the apartments of the princess of Piedmont and are now housed at Palazzo Reale (illustrated in Roberto Antonetto’s Il Mobile Piemontese nel Settecento, Vol. I, Turin, 2010, p. 355, no. 13). Another shared feature with these cupboards is the female head above intertwined laurel branches on the clock’s bracket. Bonzanigo also employed a variant of this frieze—featuring three beads instead of two, alternating with an oval— that can be seen on a pair of consoles with similar stylized foliage and paw feet at the Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi (illustrated in Antonetto, op. cit., p. 351, no. 7).

The Greek key pattern adorning the clock’s sides is also found on several of Bonzanigo’s mirror frames at the Palazzina di Caccia di Stupinigi, as well as on two tripods at Palazzo Reale (illustrated in Antonetto, op. cit., pp. 346-347, nos. 4 and 5, and p. 358, no. 15). While Bonzanigo was known for depicting flowers emerging from vases or baskets (as seen in the aforementioned mirrors at Stupinigi), flowers issuing from a cornucopia, as seen just below the dial are however rarer in his work. This arrangement is illustrated in two drawings of commodes by the architect Carlo Randoni in Turin’s Biblioteca Civica (illustrated in Enrico Colle’s Il Mobile Neoclassico, Milan, 2005, p. 436). Many of Randoni’s designs were executed by Bonzanigo, including the commode at Villa Carlotta, formerly owned by the Savoy family. This suggests that the present cornucopia reliefs may have been inspired by Randoni’s designs, as further evidenced by a console table attributed to Bonzanigo with carved cornucopia on the stretcher, which was sold at Christie’s Paris, 5th November 2014, lot 97.

While Bonzanigo's remarkable skills are evident in his larger furniture pieces, his mastery and ingenuity also shine through in his smaller decorative works of art, such as this clock and his intricately carved frames. The carved reliefs on these pieces are astonishing in their detail. For example, the friezes of stylized foliage and rosettes on a panel and the elaborate display of military trophies on a cabinet, both housed at Palazzo Madama, exemplify this exceptional craftsmanship (illustrated in Genio e Maestria: Mobili ed Ebanisti alla Corte Sabauda tra Settecento e Ottocento, Turin, 2018, pp. 368 and 273).