Plate 41: Fireworks display in city square with Ferdinand watching from a balcony at right; from Guillielmus Becanus's 'Serenissimi Principis Ferdinandi, Hispaniarum Infantis...' 1636

Johannes Meursius created this engraving, "Plate 41: Fireworks display in city square with Ferdinand watching from a balcony at right" to accompany Guillielmus Becanus's book about the visit of Prince Ferdinand of Spain to Antwerp. The print captures a moment of public spectacle designed to impress and celebrate Ferdinand. This work gives us a glimpse into the power dynamics of the 17th century. Ferdinand, positioned on a balcony, literally looks down upon the display and the gathered crowds. The fireworks, erupting in the sky, symbolize power, festivity, and the projection of authority. The elaborate, almost grotesque, sculpture in the foreground might be read as a commentary on the extravagance of such displays, or perhaps, on the perceived monstrousness of foreign rule. Consider how the display served to manufacture consent and project an image of strength during a time of political tension. What do these celebrations conceal? While the fireworks might evoke a sense of awe, we might also reflect on the social and economic realities that existed beyond the frame of this celebratory moment.