Allegory of water and light: a pyrotechnic spectacle on the Rhine river in Düsseldorf in 1585

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.5965/2595034702322025106

Keywords:

court ceremony, encomiastic allegory, italian renaissance, pyrotechnics, stage machinery

Abstract

The "Julian Wedding" celebrations held in Düsseldorf in 1585 constituted an opportune occasion to spectacularly stage the assertion of power of a duchy in crisis — governed by the von Jülich-Kleve-Berg family — through symbols of authority aimed at strengthening relations with the Empire. In this context, the recourse to aesthetic models and masters linked to the Italian Renaissance reveals itself as a deliberate political strategy, supported by the use of encomiastic allegory. A precious source for the reconstitution of these events is the contemporary account by Theodor Gramineus (Dietrich Gras), practically ignored by historiography.

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Author Biography

Cristina Grazioli, Azienda Ospedale - Università Padova

Cristina Grazioli is a professor of History and Aesthetics of Light on Stage and Puppet Theatre: Histories and Aestheticsat the University of Padua. Her research focuses on the relationship between theatre and the visual arts, early 20th-century German theatre, the aesthetics of the puppet, and theatrical lighting. Her published studies include:

  • Lo specchio grottesco. Marionette e automi nel teatro tedesco del primo '900 (The Grotesque Mirror: Marionettes and Automata in Early 20th-Century German Theatre), Esedra, 1999;

  • Luce e ombra. Storia, teorie e pratiche dell'illuminazione teatrale (Light and Shadow: History, Theories, and Practices of Theatrical Lighting), Laterza, 2008;

  • Dire Luce. Una riflessione a due voci sulla luce in scena (Speaking Light: A Dialogue on Stage Lighting), Cuepress 2021 (co-authored with Pasquale Mari).

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Published

2026-01-12

How to Cite

GRAZIOLI, Cristina. Allegory of water and light: a pyrotechnic spectacle on the Rhine river in Düsseldorf in 1585. Móin-Móin Magazine - Studies in the Art of Puppetry, Florianópolis, v. 2, n. 32, p. 106–129, 2026. DOI: 10.5965/2595034702322025106. Disponível em: https://revistas.udesc.br/index.php/moin/article/view/28142. Acesso em: 13 jan. 2026.

Issue

Vol. 2 No. 32 (2025): The Stage of Celebration: Rituals, Festivities, and Community

Section

Dossiê Temático

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