Girandola at Castel Sant’Angelo

Unknown artist

The <girandole> was the firework display lit from the Castel Sant’Angelo in Rome during Easter festivities. It lasted a full hour, reaching a climax at nine o’clock in the evening, with a fan-shaped shower of stars as the grand finale – the very moment Desprez depicted here. He lit up the structure, reflected in the River Tiber, with coloured printing ink.