Vuurwerk bij de viering van de Vrede van Rijswijk, 1697 1697 - 1698

Laurens Scherm created this etching, 'Fireworks at the celebration of the Peace of Rijswijk', in 1697. It commemorates the end of the Nine Years' War, a conflict which involved many European powers. The print gives us insight into the ways peace was not just achieved, but performed and celebrated in the early modern period. Fireworks explode across the composition, illuminating the architecture. Figures stand at the base of the display, dwarfed by the scale of the spectacle. These elaborate displays involved engineering prowess, artistic creativity, and of course, significant financial investment. Who was this peace for, and who was excluded from its benefits and celebrations? What does it mean to create such an over-the-top demonstration? While the work ostensibly celebrates peace, the explosive nature of the fireworks leaves one wondering about its relationship to war and violence.