Fireworks Display Presented to the Dauphin on his Sixth Birthday on September 3

This print by Charles-Nicolas Cochin II captures a fireworks display presented to the Dauphin of France in 1735. Cochin made this artwork with the engraving technique, which involves meticulously incising lines into a metal plate, inking it, and pressing it onto paper. Consider the labor embedded in this print; the highly skilled craftsmanship required to create the intricate details of the fireworks, architecture and figures. This stands in contrast to the ephemeral nature of the depicted event, a fleeting celebration of royal power. The print wasn't just an artwork, but a record, meant to extend the moment of celebration for posterity. Engraving, like many printmaking processes, allowed for the mass production of images, and the dissemination of visual propaganda. By understanding the materials, and the making of this artwork, we can see the intersection of art, power, and social context in 18th-century France.