Skulptur föreställande en stor, reslig krigare placerad på ett lejonhuvud och med en liten hund framför fötterna. Att döma av flertalet lösa skulpturdelar som påträffats, har det ursprungligen funnits två stora krigare ombord på Vasa. Den andra skulpturen har huvudnummer 05775.
Skulpturens högra arm och mantel påträffades separat (fyndnummer: arm 23027, mantel 23028).
Vid bärgningstillfället noterades flera spår av guld.
Placering på skeppet
Skulpturen är placerad på förens övre del, akter om galjonsrelingen, på styrbord sida. Skulpturens huvud är i höjd med relingen på övre däck. På babord sida har det funnits en liknande skulptur, en pendang, som troligtvis har varit placerad på ett motsvarande sätt.
Litteratur
Soop, H., The Power and the Glory, Stockholm 1992. Kategori 35, s. 161-164.
Utställt i "Makten och Härligheten", Wasavarvet, 1975-1988.
Inventerat 1974.
Text in English: Sculpture depicting a giant, lofty warrior, standing on a lion''''s head and with a dog in front of his feet. Originally there have been two giant warriors on The Vasa, judging from some loose pieces found.
The cloak and the right arm were recovered separately.
At the time of salvaging, several traces of gold were noted on the sculpture.
Location on ship
The sculpture is located on the upper part of the bow, aft of the beak-head railing, on the starboard side. It''''s head is level with the railing of the upper deck. There would have been a similar sculpture, a companion piece, on the port side. The missing figure was most probably positioned in a similar way.
Iconography
Clues to the identity of the man can be found in the animals that accompany him. The lion at the warrior''''s feet traditionally stands for strength, courage, tenacity etc. while the dog has in art been a symbol of faith: faithfulness to his master. Seen superficially, the motif is paralleled in the relatively common portraits of sixteenth- and seventeenth-century princes and other persons of importance, in which the prinicpal subject is shown with a dog at his feet. In the same way, the lion may be seen as a parallel to the lions in some state portraits. Here the beast represents the nation. In art, the lion and dog together also may symbolize the choleric and melancholic temperaments.
However, it is plausible that the benevolent and peaceful looking lion and the lively, rather aggressive looking dog have a deeper meaning, and refer to the work of the French poet and humanist Guillaume de la Perriére (1499-1565), entitled La Morosophie (1553), containing a collection of 100 emblems, based on the work of the Roman writer Pliny the elder. Pliny tells of the lion''''s gentleness towards weak and inferior creatures, and, according to him, the lion is alone among wild animals in showing gentleness towards those who beg his mercy and are prepared to subjugate themselves to his will.
It is conceivable that de la Perriére''''s moralising assemblage of emblems inspired the sculpture here. If this is the case the lion and the dog can justify our viewing the tall warrior as a symbol of noble character, as expressed in the act of mercy toward a weak and inferior adversary. It is the kind of symbolism that was appropriate to the times and would appear to be eminently suited to a warship. Here it could be seen as a code of honour and morality which, according to the Christian view, should apply to a warring nation, but of course is seldom, or never, adhere to in practice.
Bibliography
Soop, H., The Power and the Glory, Stockholm 1992. Category 35, pp 161-164.
Exhibited in "The Power and the Glory", The Old Wasavarvet Museum, 1975-1988.
Inventoried 1974.
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