Södertörns högskola | Institute for Archaeology Masters Thesis | Maritime Archaeology | Spring Term 2009 The Sovereign’s Cabin – A reconstruction and interpretation of the wooden sculptures and wall panelling in the great cabin and stern gallery of the warship Vasa of 1628. By Shaun Lee Wallace Supervisor: Professor Johan Rönnby S h i ii Abstract The great cabin of the warship Vasa was adorned as a palace like room rather than a ships cabin, containing over seventy wooden sculptures. The herm pilasters and console heads possibly held symbolic meaning, as did the exterior sculptures of the ship. Why was so much money spent on the cabin? Who was its intended audience? How was the great cabin decorated and why? A study of the archaeological remains within their wider maritime and decorative historical context, can give the reasons for the designing and building of this highly decorative and expensive cabin. Key words: 17th Century; Decoration; Ship; Cabin; Herm pilaster; Console head; Vasa; Sculpture; late Renaissance: early Baroque iii Acknowledgements I would like to thank Dr. Fred Hocker, Director of Vasa Research, for his guidance and for allowing my research to take place at the Vasa Museum, and my supervisor at Södertörns Högskola, Professor Johan Rönnby. Thanks also to the following people: Hans Soop, Stockholm, for his insight into the Vasa sculptures and cabin design; Diederick Wildeman, Curator of Navigation and Library Collections, VOC, Amsterdam; Anton Oortwijn, Scheepvaartmuseum, Amsterdam; Marcel Kroon, Maritiem Museum, Rotterdam; Pia Melin, Statens Historiska Museum, Stockholm; Bengt Kylsberg, Museum Curator, Skoklosters Castle, for his guided tour; Lars W. Andersson, Museum Curator, Kalmar Castle, for his museum images; Tina Björkbacka, The Royal Palace, Stockholm, for room design information; Lars Einarsson, Kronan, Kalmar, for project information; Lena Palmqvist, Nordiska Museet, Stockholm; and Ab Hoving, Dr. Frits Scholten and Paul van Duin from the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam, for their help regarding contemporary interior decoration. iv Dedicated firstly to my father Patrick James Wallace and secondly to my wife Anya Ison Wallace v Contents TABLE OF FIGURES..............................................................................................................................VIII 1. INTRODUCTION ......................................................................................................................................1 RESEARCH SCOPE......................................................................................................................................1.1 RESEARCH METHOD..................................................................................................................................1.2 2. BACKGROUND ........................................................................................................................................2 TH TH 16 & 17 CENTURY SWEDISH HISTORICAL BACKGROUND..................................................................2.1 THE WARSHIP VASA.................................................................................................................................2.2 RECOVERY, CONSERVATION AND PROTECTION.......................................................................................2.3 3. SHIP CABIN DECORATIONS OF THE SEVENTEENTH CENTURY..............................................3 CABIN DESIGN AND PLACEMENT ..............................................................................................................3.1 THE CABINS AND OFFICERS COMPLEMENT ON THE VASA .......................................................................3.2 DIVISION OF SPACE ...................................................................................................................................3.3 4. SWEDISH STATELY MANSIONS, CASTLES AND CHURCHES....................................................4 PILASTERS AND PANELLING IN SWEDISH STATELY MANSIONS AND CASTLES........................................4.1 CABINETS, CHESTS AND CHURCH PILASTERS ..........................................................................................4.2 CONSOLE HEADS .......................................................................................................................................4.3 THE WOODCARVERS .................................................................................................................................4.4 5. THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL REMAINS...................................................................................................5 THE HERM PILASTERS - PAIRS AND SINGLES............................................................................................5.1 THE HERM PILASTERS - MISSING ENDS.....................................................................................................5.2 THE CONSOLE HEADS................................................................................................................................5.3 Grotesque ......................................................................................................................................... 5.3.1 Lion ................................................................................................................................................... 5.3.2 Human .............................................................................................................................................. 5.3.3 THE LINTELS..............................................................................................................................................5.4 THE HERM PILASTER DOORPOSTS.............................................................................................................5.5 6. EARLIER RECONSTRUCTIONS OF THE GREAT CABIN...............................................................6 7. INTERPRETATION AND RECONSTRUCTION..................................................................................7 DESCRIPTION, SIMILARITIES AND INTERPRETATION: ..............................................................................7.1 Example herm pilasters ................................................................................................................... 7.1.1 Example console heads.................................................................................................................... 7.1.2 Example herm pilaster doorposts ................................................................................................... 7.1.3 The cartouche lintel ......................................................................................................................... 7.1.4 INTERPRETATION OF SCULPTURAL SYMBOLISM IN THE GREAT CABIN AND STERN GALLERY................7.2 DROP LOCATIONS OF THE ARCHAEOLOGICAL REMAINS..........................................................................7.3 Herm pilaster locations ................................................................................................................... 7.3.1 Herm pilaster groups....................................................................................................................... 7.3.2 Console head locations.................................................................................................................... 7.3.3 Console head groups ....................................................................................................................... 7.3.4 Herm pilaster doorpost locations ................................................................................................... 7.3.5 PLACEMENT RECONSTRUCTION OF THE REMAINS ...................................................................................7.4 Entrance to the great cabin from the helmsman’s cabin............................................................... 7.4.1 Herm pilaster doorpost and lintel placements in the stern gallery .............................................. 7.4.2 Herm pilaster doorpost placements in the great cabin ................................................................. 7.4.3 Panel section reconstruction........................................................................................................... 7.4.4 Great cabin mast trunk.................................................................................................................... 7.4.5 8. CONCLUSIONS.........................................................................................................................................8 vi 9. SUMMARY ................................................................................................................................................9 APPENDIX – CATALOGUE ITEMS ........................................................................................................10 MAGAZINE STORAGE LOCATIONS - GREAT CABIN ARCHAEOLOGICAL REMAINS ................................ 10.1 ARCHAEOLOGICAL REMAINS LOCATION IN THE STORAGE VAULT....................................................... 10.2 HERM PILASTER INFORMATION ............................................................................................................. 10.3 CONSOLE HEAD INFORMATION.............................................................................................................. 10.4 FORMS FOR RECORDING ARCHAEOLOGICAL REMAINS ......................................................................... 10.5 BIBLIOGRAPHY .........................................................................................................................................11