The Vasa era and the Renaissance

Gustav Vasa and his sons built castles and had their portraits painted – the Renaissance reached Sweden through the court.

The Reformation put an end to the Church's great commissions, and the Crown became the most important patron instead. The Vasa castles at Gripsholm, Vadstena and Kalmar were rebuilt in the Renaissance style with the help of German and Netherlandish craftsmen.

The Sun Dog Painting, which shows Stockholm and a remarkable solar halo in 1535, is the oldest image of the city. The original is lost; the copy that hangs in Storkyrkan dates from 1636.

The portrait gained importance. Gustav Vasa and his sons had themselves painted by foreign artists, and the portrait collection at Gripsholm, begun at that time, is one of the oldest in the world.

• The Reformation and the Church's treasures
• The castle builders from Germany and the Netherlands
• The portrait as an instrument of power
• Crowns and tombs
• The Sun Dog Painting – an image as interpretation
• Olaus Magnus and the Carta Marina
• John III, Catherine and Kalmar Castle
• The North and the Renaissance – Sweden and Denmark
• The Vasa era in the eyes of posterity