Fireworks Dislay in Paris for the Birth of the Dauphin on January 21, 1730

With French governance relying on dynastic succession, the birth of the Dauphin-the male heir to the throne-was cause for celebration. Louis XV's queen, Marie Leszczinska, had given birth to three daughters before having a son on September 4, 1729. In the months that followed, fêtes and fireworks were staged from Paris to Rome. This nautical spectacle was the work of the accomplished architect and stage designer Giovanni Servandoni, who created two fantastical mountains in the middle of the River Seine in Paris, across from the Palais du Louvre, from which to launch fireworks. The fashion for chinoiserie decoration in France is evident in the large pagoda-shaped boat filled with musicians that embarks from the banks of the river, and in the smaller dragon-shaped punts that circle the mountains.