European Festival Studies: 1450-1700

This Series, in association with the Society for European Festivals Research, builds on the current surge of interest in the circumstances of Early Modern European Festivals – their political, religious, social, economic and cultural implications as well as in the detailed analysis of their performance (including ephemeral architecture, scenography, scripts, music and soundscape, dance, costumes, processions and fireworks), whether in indoor or outdoor, urban, rural or courtly locations.

Festivals were interdisciplinary and, on occasion, international in scope. They drew on a rich classical heritage and developed a shared pan-European iconography as well as exploiting regional and site-specific features. They played an important part in local politics and the local economy, as well as in international negotiations and the conscious presentation of power, sophistication and national identity, in a national, international and, sometimes, a global context.

The Series, including both essay collections and monographs, seeks to analyse the characteristics of individual festivals as well as to explore generic themes. It draws on a wealth of archival documentary evidence, alongside the visual and performative resources of galleries and museums, to study the historical, literary, performance and material culture of these extravagant occasions of state.

Its aim is to provide academics, advanced students, museum and gallery curators and archivists with scholarly commentary on Festivals in Early Modern Europe, based on extensive documentary and pictorial research, eyewitness accounts including ambassadors’ reports and published orders of ceremony, and to encourage new scholars to contribute to the series’ topic.