The Vasa is not merely a ship - she is also an art treasure. Around
700 sculptures and ornaments decorate the warship.

Most of them relate, in a symbolic way, how the Swedish king
Gustavus Adolphus wished the world to see him and Sweden. Also as
the Vasa was built during the war between Sweden and Poland there
are also elements to degrade the enemy. Today we may call the
sculptures pure propaganda.

The first sculpture salvaged from the Vasa was a roaring lion´s head
from one of the gunports. There are many lion figures among the the
sculptures. The most impressive one is the figure-head, located
furthest out on the beak-head. It is three metres long and has been
interpreted as a symbol of the king himself. Gustavus Adolphus was
known as "the Lion of the North" in contemporary Europe.

The woodcarvers who made the sculptures were not Swedish. Instead,
they came from Holland and Germany. They carved in oak, pine and
lime, in the style of the late Renaissance and early Baroque. The
motifs were taken from Greek mythology, the Bible, Roman history
and in the contemporary, idealistic ideas of Swedish history. The
carvings vary from the erotic and burlesque, to the eserene and
elegant, with stern Roman emperors, plump angels, heroic warriors,
grinning devils and mermaids. There are some with courser elements,
like the vulgar woman with large breasts, licking her nose with her
tongue.

Right now experts are trying to find out exactly how the sculptures
were painted. In 1628 the Vasa would have been blazing in bright
colours of gold, green, red and blue.