Firework around the Antwerp Cathedral, plate 41 from Casperius Gevartius, Pompa Introitus Honori Serenissimi Principis Ferdinandi 1642

Theodoor van Thulden created this print, “Firework around the Antwerp Cathedral,” as part of the series *Pompa Introitus Honori Serenissimi Principis Ferdinandi*. This series documents the grand celebrations surrounding Cardinal-Infante Ferdinand of Austria's arrival in Antwerp in 1635. Ferdinand's entrance as governor represented a shift in power dynamics during the Eighty Years' War, where the Spanish Habsburgs struggled to maintain control over the Netherlands. Van Thulden’s print, with its dramatic display of fireworks, wasn't just a record; it was carefully designed propaganda. Fireworks, with their fleeting beauty, served as a metaphor for Ferdinand's power—brilliant, awe-inspiring, but ultimately transient. The towering cathedral juxtaposed with the fireworks symbolizes the complex relationship between religious authority and political power. The print invites us to consider how spectacle and ceremony were used to shape public perception and reinforce political agendas, amidst a backdrop of war and social change.