Vreugdevuren te Den Haag na de verovering van Namen, 1695 1695

Curator: We're looking at "Vreugdevuren te Den Haag na de verovering van Namen, 1695" an engraving from 1695 by Pieter van den Berge. It depicts a celebration in The Hague following the capture of Namur. Editor: It strikes me as chaotically celebratory, like fireworks exploding mid-battle. The perspective's unusual, almost bird's-eye, emphasizing the dense urban setting contrasted with the dazzling spectacle of light and smoke. Curator: The engraving’s attention to detail speaks to the formal qualities of the Baroque period, using very refined lines to construct a sense of grandeur and complexity from a scene depicting, essentially, fireworks. Editor: Yes, and contextualizing this, Namur's capture represented a major victory in the Nine Years' War for William of Orange, soon to be King William III of England. These "joy fires" were a political display celebrating Dutch power but also reinforcing the monarchy. Curator: Indeed. Van den Berge's piece captures the symbolism, positioning the fireworks displays as triumphs of organization, science, and national identity under the baroque framework. It's not just uncontrolled joy, but rather civic pride turned visual allegory. Editor: Right, you see that order and precision contrasted with the historical backdrop—the devastating wars in Europe in this period. I consider it a reflection of social hierarchies too. Look at how detached the throngs of people appear below versus the elite, observing the spectacles on an elevated dias, as well as how text below honors those wealthy people. Curator: Well, if we look at Van den Berge's manipulation of line and depth, one could also propose that it echoes those hierarchies within the structures that mirror class. This structured chaos works to convey an era of enormous political, scientific, and even artistic development in a highly ornamental period of art history. Editor: Perhaps, but understanding that celebration meant different things to different classes gives us a more critical lens of its meanings today. Ultimately, it highlights a moment of nationalistic fervor during a fraught era, reproduced as an engraving that sought to distribute the state’s message further. Curator: A compelling interpretation and just looking closely now, what a spectacular rendering of pyrotechnics on paper from so long ago.