Vuurwerk op de Hofvijver ter ere van de kroning van keizer Frans I Stefan, 1746 1746 - 1747

Curator: This engraving, created by Jan Caspar Philips between 1746 and 1747, depicts "Fireworks on the Hofvijver in honor of the coronation of Emperor Franz I Stefan." Editor: It's immediately striking, this explosion of light and geometry rendered in such precise lines. The texture, the etching – you can almost smell the gunpowder and see the crowds. Curator: Indeed. Consider the materials, though. An engraving—a print—transforms what was likely an incredibly ephemeral and uncontrolled display into something reproducible, distributable, and enduring. This coronation wasn't just celebrated; it was commodified. Editor: Good point. The lines themselves are almost industrial. What was created in a celebration by laborers becomes a sort of product itself—an artwork. It looks almost as if Philips worked in the factories he was replicating. Curator: Precisely! And this print’s availability signals shifting social dynamics of access and visibility to these kinds of displays of power and ceremony. Who gets to witness the spectacle, and who gets to own a representation of it? It's fascinating to consider in relation to questions about class and privilege at the time. Editor: Thinking about how such fireworks would actually be manufactured is quite stunning—the specialized knowledge and craft involved, the networks of trade… What appears celebratory also shows hidden labor relations, both that of those present in the city square in the work and those beyond the work. Curator: And if we delve deeper, the coronation itself is a focal point for discourse around dynastic power, imperial ambition, and the symbolic weight attached to monarchy in 18th-century Europe. How the coronation relates to the social sphere. The print’s narrative subtly invites commentary about imperial projects of this time. Editor: Looking at it this way gives this print such unexpected nuance. Curator: It’s amazing how a work capturing an event becomes enmeshed in political, cultural, and social significance of that period. Editor: Absolutely. Focusing on the means and matter also reveals layers we might miss if we are just thinking about emperors and coronations.