This exceptionally carved rock crystal vessel can be convincingly attributed to the celebrated Prague-based hardstone carver Dionysio Miseroni (d. 1661), perhaps with the involvement of his son Ferdinand Eusebio Miseroni. It can be associated with two other vessels, one by Dionysio Miseroni, carved circa 1650, and the other by his son Ferdinand Eusebio, executed circa 1671, both of which are in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna (inv. nos. 1447 and 1487) (figs 1 and 2).

These two vessels fall under the term groppo which means something that is intertwined or knotted. The present vessel, like the Kunsthistorisches groppo vessels, appears to have been conceived purely for its awe-inspiring optical effects.

The present vessel shares characteristics with a number of autograph works by Dionysio Miseroni, but also his father Ottavio. The distinctive acanthus leaf carved in relief to the underside of the bowl is a feature of a number of Dionysio’s works. Compare, in particular, with the smoky quartz bowl with grape decoration carved by Dionysio circa 1648-1649 in the Kunsthistorisches Museum (fig. 3) with its handles formed of leaves articulated at their midribs with peapod-type drill holes seen also on the sides of the present vessel.

A further comparison, both for the acanthus leaves and the fantastical handle is found in a covered smoky quartz bowl also in the Kunsthistorisches Museum (inv. no. 1344) with unusual beak-like handle. Note also the multiple leaves on the lidded vessel made by Dionysio and Ferdinand Eusebio before 1660 in the Kunsthistorisches Museum (inv. no. 2341). Rosettes like the distinctive floral motif seen on the underside of the present vessel feature in a number of unpublished carvings by Dionysio Miseroni in Prague and Vienna.

The deeply engraved scroll-like volutes and rib-like fluting on the sides of the present vessel bear a notable resemblance to the carving on a citrine quartz vase in the shape of an oil lamp in the Museo del Prado, Madrid (inv. no. O000096), which is believed to date to circa 1600-1630. In 2001 Letizia Arbeteta Mira proposed an attribution to Dionysio Miseroni, possibly in collaboration with his father Ottavio, but a later re-examination, in 2016, led her to attribute it solely to Dionysio as an early but assured work. The vase recalls Dionysio’s works from circa 1640–1650 when Dionysio was in the period of his artistic maturity, yet the earlier design of the gold mount argues against such a relatively late date of execution. For the scrolling volutes at the sides of the present vessel, compare with the ewer attributed to the workshop of Ferdinand Eusebio which was formerly in the collects ion of William Beckford and is today in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York (inv. no. 1982.60.138).

Each of the characteristics discussed above illustrate the depth of Dionysio’s imagination and his mastery of the distinctive auricular style for which his forebears had been celebrated in the court of Rudolf II. The top of the present vessel features a grotesque mask with an elongated auricular mustache that frames the edge of a wide, open mouth. This echoes an earlier design seen in a jade carving in the shape of an oil lamp by Ottavio Miseroni, Dionysio’s father, which is in the Museo del Prado, Madrid (fig. 4).

The Prado vessel, which follows the design of mask resting on four dolphins, was attributed to Ottavio by Rudolf Distelberger. Note also the soft quatrefoil nose and the elongated forehead, which are near identical to those seen on the present groppo. Compare also with a small citrine bowl in Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna (inv. no. 1367) for a similarly abstracted mask with quatrefoil nose. It should also be noted that the Prado ‘oil-lamp’ vessel is cut from a single piece of opaque jade and features a large raised ‘tongue’ to the interior of its bowl. A similar protrouding tongue can arguably be read in the raised decoration to its underside of the present groppo. When viewed through its crystalline near-transparent and highly polished wall a smaller protruding tongue can be discerned, below which is a fantastical beard in the form of the acanthus leaf.

The presence of an acanthus leaf is arguably significant since the acanthus was a symbol of immortality in antiquity. The motif of the open-mouthed grotesque mask can be traced back into the 16th century, and appears in Renaissance fireplaces such as the four fire surrounds in the Villa della Torre Allegrini in Fumane near Verona (cf. Arbeteta Mira, op. cit., no. 5) (fig 5). One of the Torre Allegrini fireplaces has been compared to a ‘sea monster,’ whilst another has been compared to a ‘unicorn, but one of salvation’ with its eyes turned towards the heavens.

The present groppo is an exciting and rare addition to the oeuvre of the Miseroni. It is preserved in near-perfect original condition and, with its beautiful translucent material, is as entrancing and beautiful as some of the most iconic works by Dionysio Miseroni and his son Ferdinand Eusebio Miseroni and their predecessors. The presence of the rosette to its underside suggests that the object is complete and was conceived, like the other groppo vessels, as an object of wonder for contemplation. One can only speculate on the provenance of this remarkable object, which was surely originally carved for a member of the Habsburg dynasty.