Incendiary Art: The Representation of Fireworks in Early Modern Europe
Kevin Salatino
Review by Jim Malek
This is a richly documented paperback book, one of the series called Bibliographies & Dossiers from the Getty Research Institute for the History of Art and the Humanities, documenting an exhibit held at the Institute in 1999. It contains 53 black and white engravings and 23 color plates, and the time period covered is from the late 1500s to the early 1800s, although the text itself is not chronological. This work is more concerned with the objects as pieces of art and their use as historical records, rather than using them to describe the fireworks themselves. Each of the figures is described in detail, with heavy emphasis on the political, social, and cultural meanings that are represented in the scene. Historical facts are presented, explaining why the displays were originally staged. Many of the details of the displays were obtained from written programs that were distributed to the audience so that they could fully appreciate both the significance of the production and the work involved.
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Ref: JPyro, Issue 14, 2001, p76
(J14_76)
© Journal of Pyrotechnics and CarnDu Ltd
