Entry of Maximilian II into Nuremberg, June 7, 1570 1570

This detailed print by Jost Amman shows Maximilian II entering Nuremberg in 1570. It's a fascinating visual record of a key ritual: the formal entry of a ruler into a city. Made in Germany, the image constructs meaning through its depiction of power. The Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian is received by the townspeople. He is at the head of a procession of mounted escorts, and is followed by a horse-drawn carriage. Fireworks explode over the city, symbolizing the power of the Holy Roman Empire. Nuremberg's architecture is presented as a backdrop to this theater of power. To understand this image, we need to consider the social and political structures of the time. Nuremberg was an Imperial Free City, so the Emperor’s visit was a carefully orchestrated event, designed to reinforce his authority, and to remind the citizens of their place in the social order. Visual and textual sources can help us to better understand such images, allowing us to interpret art in its full social and institutional context.