A portrait of an unknown Knight of the Order of Malta who wears its white cross on his clothing. His left hand rests on a table clock.

This clock represents the passage of time and the fugacity of life. And, while Titian included this symbol in other compositions, it is rarely actually touched by the subject.

This work was given to Felipe IV (1606-1665) by Prince Ludovisi in 1637 and appears in the 1666 inventory of the Alcázar Palace. It entered the Prado Museum collection in 1827.