Enväldets riter : Kungliga fester och ceremonier i gestaltning av Nicodemus Tessin den yngre

Sammanfattning: This dissertation treats Royal ceremonies and festivals in Sweden during the reigns of Charles XI (1672-97) and Charles XII (1697-1718). Staged by Nicodemus Tessin the Younger, court architect and superintendent, the ceremonies and festivals were splendid events where temporary architecture interplayed with paintings, music, poetry, fireworks and other lighting effects.The core of the dissertation consists of four case studies, each of which highlights a particular aspect of the significance and function of ceremony. In the first case study, which considers the entry of Ulrika Eleonora into Stockholm in 1680, the different layers of meaning embedded in the structure of the ceremony are examined. The second study, which examines the funeral of Ulrika Eleonora in 1693, concentrates on the aesthetic formation of ceremonial space. The third study is concerned with the coronation of Charles XII in 1697 and discusses in particular the relationship between continuity and change in ceremony while the fourth study, on the celebrations of the victory at Narva in 1701, explores the problem of centre and periphery in the establishment and com-munication of ideological concepts.In the dissertation it is shown that the royal ceremonies and festivals played an essential role in the formation and dissemination of an image of royalty, society and God in 17th century Sweden. They were also conducive to creating and expressing a sense of unity and participation in society, by forming a ceremonial space where people from all levels of society met A major function of the artistic arrangements was to make this ceremonial space visible, and to emphasize that the ceremony was something extraordinary, something transcending normal time and space.