Text to accompany plate illustrating the fireworks display celebrating the birth of Prince Max Emmanuel of Bavaria, Munich, 1662 1662

This print was made in Munich in 1662 by Mathäus Küsel to commemorate the birth of Prince Max Emmanuel of Bavaria. It's an engraving, meaning the artist would have used a sharp tool called a burin to carve lines into a metal plate, likely copper. Ink is then applied to the plate, and the surface wiped clean, leaving ink only in the incised lines. The plate is then pressed onto paper, transferring the image. But consider the context of the print. It depicts a fireworks display, a fleeting spectacle of light and sound orchestrated for the Prince's birth. Fireworks were incredibly labor-intensive, requiring skilled pyrotechnicians and a vast support network. The print serves to memorialize the event and disseminate the family's name to the public. The careful engraving process itself is a form of skilled labor, transforming a temporary celebration into a lasting image. By understanding the materials, making, and social context surrounding this print, we can see how it blurs the lines between art, craft, and propaganda, and reflects the social dynamics of 17th-century Bavaria.