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Ostrich ballets and fish floats: the ephemeral art of festivals

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  06 June 2016

Marcia Reed*
Affiliation:
Curator of Rare Books, Getty Research Institute, 1200 Getty Center Drive, Los Angeles, CA 90049-1688, USA
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Abstract

During the Renaissance and Baroque periods temporary festival monuments, architectural works, fireworks, and table pieces were designed for the time of celebrations and were destroyed or torn down at the ceremony’s end. Memories of these works live on in the books and prints published as historic accounts, souvenirs, and reports for those at a distance who were unable to attend. Now held in library and archival collections, these works on paper are indispensable sources for researchers who seek to describe and to interpret the transitory and disposable, yet extraordinary, art of festivals.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Art Libraries Society 2002

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References

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