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Vienna, second quarter of the 19th century
- Case
- gilt bull’s eye frame
- Movement
- verge escapement, Viennese grande sonnerie on wire gongs, repeater, added musical movement from the time around 1875 with three tunes (one of them the waltz "Wiener Blut" by Johann Strauss II) by "Gustav Řebíček in Prag, No. 4101 49378"
- Technique
- oil on metal
- Measurements
- 30½×40½ in
This museum-quality picture clock shows a historical view of the Ferdinand Bridge (today Schwedenbrücke) in Vienna. The bridge was named in honor of Crown Prince and later Emperor Ferdinand I. The date of construction, 1819, is inscribed in Roman numerals on the central pillar. We know of other clock paintings with this motif by C. L. Hof(f)meister, and the fineness of the painting also speaks for an attribution to this gifted Viennese picture clock painter.
The view was a popular motif as it shows Vienna’s city center, life by the river and, above all, Vienna’s main landmark, the so called “Steffl” (St. Stephen’s cathedral’s highest tower). On the left you can see the fortification walls with the Rotenturm gate. We can recognize the courtly coach that has just passed through this gate by the team of six white horses, which was reserved for the imperial family. The Müllersche Palais, situated within the city walls, draws the eye with its long colonnade. Behind it rises the south tower of St. Stephen’s Cathedral, in which the clock face is integrated. The tower of Maria am Gestade and the twin towers of Servitenkirche also rise above the city. On the other bank of the Danube Canal, we see the elegant Café Stierböck with its impressive two-storey glazed terrace (now the Sofitel Vienna).
The figures that enliven the scene are extremely detailed. Amusements such as boat trips and promenades are depicted as well as the work of washerwomen, raftsmen and fishermen. There is also a humorous element – a gallant gentleman stumbling over a rope.