1600-1650 (Temporal Keyword)

DOCUMENT Citation Only Karolina Pallin. Leticia Pinheiro Lima.

When Vasa was built, it was decorated with numerous sculptures that presented ideas and beliefs on the importance of Sweden and the person of the King. One of the more intriguing, but until today little researched sculptures is the mascaron that sits above the bearings for the ship’s whipstaff. From the grotesque mouth of the sculpture, the whipstaff protrudes like a 4-meter-long tongue. Based on the intricate nature of the carving, and its unique location, the whipstaff mascaron possesses a...