Pyrotechnics: The History and Art of Firework Making — John Shaqi
Pyrotechnics: The History and Art of Firework MakingBrock, Alan St. H. (Alan St. Hill)
History
Pyrotechnics: The History and Art of Firework Making
Brock, Alan St. H. (Alan St. Hill)
Fireworks
One account of a procession to the Chester Races on St. George’s Day,
1610, commences as follows: “Two men in green ivy, set with work upon
their other habit, with black hair and black beards, very ugly to
behold, and garlands upon their heads, with great clubs in their hands,
with fireworks to scatter abroad to maintain the way for the rest of
the show.”
The fire clubs referred to are described in John Bate’s book, published
in 1635; the same writer illustrates a “green man” on the title page of
his work.
[Illustration: Facsimile Title-page of Bate’s Book, showing a
“Green Man.”]
Regarding the origin of the Green Man, it has been suggested that the
character was evolved from the wild men, satyrs, monsters, etc., which
appeared in the earlier exhibitions. This may or may not be so, but
another explanation suggested to the writer by an old Danish print of
the sixteenth century is at least plausible.
This print, which apparently represents a floating firework device of
the old scenic type, shows two figures carrying fire clubs wearing
leaves, and suggesting immediately the green man of a slightly later
date.
Behind them are two figures holding rockets, leaving no doubt that a
firework display is portrayed.
On the other hand, apart from the fact that normally they have no fire
issuing from their clubs, the supporters of the Danish royal arms might
be here depicted; a supposition which is borne out by the fact that
the figure surmounting the erection carries the crown and sceptre of
Denmark.
It seems quite within the bounds of possibility that these two figures
were introduced into Danish displays as a compliment to Royalty,
and that later they appeared in England, and became, as it were,
acclimatised. Colour is lent to this belief by the record of a display
given on a float by the King of Denmark in 1606 upon his departure from
this country, where he had been on a visit to his brother-in-law, James
I.
This exhibition seems to have given James a taste for fireworks, and
one at least of the Danish artists appears to have remained in this
country, as some months after James had a display carried out by “a
Dane, two Dutchmen, and Sir Thomas Challoner.”
In 1572 a firework display was given in the Temple Fields, Warwick, by
the Earl of Warwick, then Master-General of the Ordnance. The occasion
was a visit to the castle by Queen Elizabeth, who appears to have been
rather partial to such exhibitions.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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