The Whipstaff Mascaron

Author(s): Karolina Pallin; Leticia Pinheiro Lima

Year: 2018

Summary

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 symbolic value that rises above the purely functional or merely decorative. Our research concludes that the mascaron creates an intimacy with the helmsman that exists apart from the rest of the space in the cabin, and points to the importance of the helmsman and his task. By researching apotropaic architecture, and symbols of power in roman art, we can begin to understand this complex space within the space.

Cite this Record

The Whipstaff Mascaron. Karolina Pallin, Leticia Pinheiro Lima. Presented at Society for Historical Archaeology, New Orleans, Louisiana. 2018 ( tDAR id: 441958)

Keywords

General
Sculpture Space Vasa

Geographic Keywords
Sweden Western Europe

Temporal Keywords
1600-1650

Spatial Coverage

min long: 11.113; min lat: 55.34 ; max long: 24.167; max lat: 69.06 ;

Individual & Institutional Roles

Contact(s): Society for Historical Archaeology

Record Identifiers

PaperId(s): 287