In the fourth episode, the series Highlights from the National Gallery Prague will take us to Baroque Prague. Karel Škréta, a leading representative of Baroque painting in Bohemia, portrays the gem cutter Dionysius Miseroni and his family in a group portrait. The painting shows a highly original composition, where all the depicted persons communicate with each other either by gestures or glances. The painting also offers a view of the gem-cutting workshop founded by Dionysius’ father, Ottavio, who had come to Prague at the invitation of Emperor Rudolph II. In addition to the members of the Miseroni family, we can also identify precious objects, products of the workshop, in the scene.
Karel Škréta, Portrait of the Gem Cutter Dionysius Miseroni and His Family
1653
Height 185 cm x width 251 cm
Oil on canvas
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 – 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, Dionysios 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 1653 is engraved on its underside. To this year we also date Škréta’s painting.
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