Vuurwerk ter ere van de kroning van Willem III en Maria II tot koning en koningin van Groot-Brittannië, 1689 1689

Adriaen Schoonebeek made this print in 1689, using etching and engraving. These are essentially reproductive technologies, which allowed images to circulate widely. Here, we see fireworks celebrating William and Mary’s coronation – a spectacle designed to impress. Yet the print itself is also a kind of firework. Look at the intricate lines, the precise detail achieved through laborious work with burins and acid. See how Schoonebeek has captured the fleeting bursts of light, the dense smoke, and the teeming crowds. Printmaking was crucial to early capitalism. It democratized images, but also relied on skilled labor, and the distribution networks of a growing market economy. The contrast between the explosive subject matter and the careful, repetitive process of its making is striking. It reminds us that even celebrations have material underpinnings, and that art is always entangled with the social conditions of its creation. By considering these aspects, we can better appreciate the full meaning of Schoonebeek's work.