Fires of Joy and Anticipation Wedding Firework Displays of the Central European Habsburgs in the Second Half of the 17th Century

Abstract

Early modern firework illuminations and displays formed part of festivities in both secular and sacred contexts from the end of the 14th century. During the 15th and 16th centuries their designers, often high-ranking artillery officers, became an increasingly important part not only of army but also of court life. The development of fireworks, and especially rockets, gave prominence to intricately conceived displays, which were gradually developed according to the changing tastes of musical theatre productions and the skills of masters of pyrotechnics. In Central Europe, several performances were staged at the Habsburg court from the middle of the 17th century onwards which were clearly among the most costly, complex and, above all, the highest-quality pyrotechnical displays of their kind in the history of human culture. They were instruments of the complex patterns of contemporary propaganda and courtly representation, and their stories reflected the reality, desires, visions and concerns of the ruling dynasty. We can deduce their forms, stories and messages from surviving synopses and printed illustrated sheets.