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416
IV. EDUCATION AND MENTAL CULTURE IN SWEDEN.
The same continued to be the case also during the 10th century. By and
by the medieval forms vanish before the new style brought into life by the
enthusiasm for the Antiquity — the Renaissance. In its first German-Dntch
phase it is in our country denominated the Vasa style (1520/1650). Though we
look upon it as a sort of renaissance, there are, however, only few antique
elements to be seen about it, with the exception of the structure of the architectonic
framework constituting a support for the plastic, mostly realistic, figures. But it
must be taken into consideration that the works of art were chiefly sepulchral
monuments and, above all, royal ones. Its first and finest flourishing this imagery
art displayed in the reign of Johan III (1569/92), the great lover of art.
Already in the life-time of Gustavus Vasa, the newly discovered memorial of
his first wife in the cathedral of Uppsala was no doubt ordered from the school
of Michel Colomb at Tours (France) though it was never set up and has since
been forgotten. It exhibits the finest real renaissance ornamentation to be found
in our country. But Johan III ordered Willem Boy to make the beautiful
memorial of Queen Katarina Jagellonica; and the magnificent monument in the
same church of King Gustavus Vasa and his two later consorts is by the same
master. Besides, there is another work of the same artist in the cathedral of
Strengnäs: the touching sepulchral stone of Johan’s little daughter, Isabella. At
Uppsala there are yet another couple of remembrances from King Johan, namely
the gilt silver-shrine of King Erik the Saint, which he caused a Danish goldsmith,
Hans Rosenfeldt by name, to work out in renaissance style, since the old medieval
shrine had disappeared; as also the sepulchral monument of Johan himself, carried
out at Danzig (1604), and, after many vicissitudes, set up in 1818 in a form
which was adjusted in 1892.
As specimens of private people’s sepulchral monuments during the Vasa
period may be remembered that of Gustaf Banér and his wife at Uppsala (signed
Aris Claesson, Haarlemensis, 1625); that of Erik Soop and his wife at Skara
(1637, by Peter Keyser in Amsterdam); and that of Gabriel Oxenstierna and
his second wife in the church of Tyresö (after 1640). At the very end of the
period, was the south portal of the Church of St. James in Stockholm achieved
(illustr, p. 411), embellished with images of Moses and James the Elder — one
of the most sumptuously decorated portals in Sweden.
After the middle of the 17th century follows the time we call the Caroline
era, and the style now making its appearance (1650/1720) is the Baroque, which
in the department of sculpture has features of its own just as in that of
architecture. It distinguishes itself by a passionate taste for movement, displaying
itself in wavy lines, flowing draperies, and exaggerated attitudes, which all is due
to the sovereign influence of painting upon the other arts. Our victors,
returning from the Thirty Years’ war, brought this change of style home with them
from the Continent. They built palaces in the baroque style and provided them
with hangings and furniture, pictures and statues, which were partly spoils of
victory, partly executed after foreign models. In all this, sculpture had the
smallest share, to be sure; but mighty sepulchral monuments were continuously
erected — now in baroque — and busts are to be seen that were made in our
country. But the constructions which also proved favourable to sculpture, were
the large royal palaces, foremost that of Drottningholm, then also that of
Stockholm. A couple of stately baroque monuments are to be seen in the Cathedral
of Uppsala, viz. that of Count Dohna (signed Verbruggen, Antwerp 1674) and
that of Bengt Oxenstierna (from a sketch by Nik. Tessin, Jun., about 1690). A
portrayer in marble was K. Schröder, a German by birth, who in 1695 modelled
and cut a bust of Charles XI (the University of Uppsala). Amongst those
who plastically decorated the palaces may be mentioned the Frenchman R.
Chan-veau, who worked here 1692/1700, and B. Precht, a German, who in 1672
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