The author of the work presented is Karel Škréta, one of the most important artists of the 17th century. It depicts Dionysio Miseroni surrounded by his entire family. Dionysio’s father Ottavio, originally from Milan, came to Prague to work at the court of Emperor Rudolph II. Dionysio was a gem cutter and his workshop enjoyed wide renown.
His family is depicted around a table with a red tablecloth, headed by Dionysio Miseroni himself. He turns to his eldest son while his wife tries to catch Dionysio’s attention with a slight touch on his shoulder. At the same time she talks to their little daughter who is playing with jewelry spread out on the table. The other two younger sons wrestle for a semi-precious stone – a smokey quartz. Another son, Ferdinand Eusebius, reaches up for a crystal vase placed at a high level. The only person directly communicating with the spectator is a little daughter in the foreground, who lays her face in her father’s palm. However, from the restoration research we know that this figure was not included in the original composition.
Here, Karel Škréta created a highly original concept of a family portrait in which all the figures communicate with each other – either by gestures or by looks. The view of the gem-cutter’s workshop is also very interesting. We can see masters, journeymen and large wheels propelling machines that help to cut stones. We can admire the best from Miseroni’s workshop in the painting itself. Ferdinand Eusebius, Dionysio’s son, tries to touch the crystal vase. The vase formed a part of a large crystal pyramid made for the Emperor. Today it can be found in the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna; the year of 1653 is engraved on its underside. To this year we also date Škréta’s painting.
