Plunder, Wonder, and War: Histories of Collecting in Sweden, 1500-1700

In this course, we will examine how Sweden waged war, looted art and cultivated wonder to define itself as a modern European state, 1500-1700. Through the lens of museum studies and histories of collecting, we will ask, how does an often-overlooked Nordic perspective complicate our understandings of a “Renaissance”? Sweden’s early modern period is marked by politically motivated art collecting by the House of Vasa (1523-1648), from “father of the nation” Gustav Vasa to the eccentric Philosopher-Queen Christina. Exploring Sweden’s colonial ambitions, developing military infrastructure, and resulting plunder, we will consider how power is buttressed and imaged by material culture.