The BBC online have reported that a 450 year old painting may reveal one of the earliest watches recorded in history.

The Science Museum in London, who have held the above portrait for 33 years in their dark and dingy dungeons, have finally taken it out of mothballs, blown off the dust and cobwebs, and plan to exhibit it in their Measuring Time gallery which traces the history of timekeeping and holds one of the largest collections of clocks in the UK.  While it was out in the open air, the museum thought they’d take a peek at the portrait and do a bit of research. This is the story so far!

The portrait was painted by renaissance artist Maso da San Friano around 1560 and is thought to be Cosimo I de Medici, Duke of Florence.  The clue to the subject’s identity was discovered by the museum’s curator, Rob ‘Sherlock’ Skitmore who noticed the Medici seal showing the family’s coat of arms on the back of the canvas.  At the time the painting was commissioned the Duke would have been around 40-41 years old which looks about right, and that also seems to accord with a portrait of him which was carried out some 14 years later when he would just have passed his half century.

Bearing in mind Cosimo was a bit of a ‘gadget geek’ and enjoyed nothing more than a good dose of science and technology it seems highly likely he’d want to test out the most advanced inventions on the market (much like us today with our computers and mobile (cell) phones) and the watch which is being held in the portrait would have been exactly that.

The first watches were seen around 1500 in Germany but this portrait may be the oldest visual evidence to show us what these early watches looked like in the flesh.  It’s thought that the one in the painting was probably made in southern Germany and, considering the importance of the subject of the portrait, it was in all probability made of gold.

Quite how you’d interpret the time on this magnificent timepiece I know not and the watch appears to me to be a form of pocket watch … but did one have pockets in one’s doublet and hose or did one keep it in one’s codpiece??  In which case it brings a whole new meaning to ‘come up and see me some time’!!! 

Hopefully once the findings have come back from renaissance experts at the Uffizi gallery in Florence with regard to the painting, the Science Museum will be able to let us all in on the secret of the Renaissance Rolex!  Only ‘time’ will tell.  ‘Watch’ this space!!!