Aston Martin V12 Vantage

Rumour has it there is a portrait hanging on the wall of the engineering department at Aston Martin. It’s an incongruous piece of decoration set amongst the otherwise modern, clean cut surroundings, yet it has pride of place. The man staring out from the gilt frame is striking a classic, slightly whimsical 18th century pose. His dark clothing looks vaguely nautical and there is a slightly enigmatic smile. Some say that it was painted by one of the Tiepolo sons around 1790, but that’s really conjecture based upon the supposition of the subject being from Venice.

The man in question is Giovanni Biondo and he in turn has lent his name to an Aston Martin after-work group that was founded in 2005; The Biondo Club. And what does this gathering do on a Thursday evening in The Antelope Inn? It pays tribute to the Venetian’s invention by putting ships into bottles.