(Vienna 1790–1843)
Picture Clock, St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, signed, dated C. L. Hofmeister pinx 1823, titled in the artist’s own hand La Chiesa di S. Pietro in Rome, oil on metal, 50 x 60 cm, framed, (GG)

Ludwig Carl Hoffmeister is largely known for his picture clocks with topographically precise views of Vienna and its surroundings.
The façade of St Peter’s Basilica in Rome, with its two monumental clocks, was a perfect subject for the painter. They had been commissioned between 1786-1790 from the architect and goldsmith Giuseppe Valadier (Rome 1762-1839) and are placed at the same height as the statues of Jesus and his apostles. The clock on the left of the building is inscribed Oltremontano and displays ‘French time’, the chronological system we use today, whilst the one on the right with a single hand indicates ‘Italian time’ (Ora Italica), used until the end of the 18th century.
In the present work the clocks appear transposed, with the Oltremontano clock on the right, and the Ora Italica on the left.
Executed in 1823, the painting shows the somewhat smaller clock mounted in the bell tower to the right, which was removed during the second half of the 19th century.