Gribshunden (1495) : En jämförande studie av samtida skeppsavbildningar

The aim of the MA thesis is to discuss and analyse different illustrations, paintings, carvings in wood and stone and woodcuts of ships of the new kind (Carrack, carvels), from the 15th century to the middle of the 16th century, and compare them to the Griffon-hound ship, and to understand how they have evolved. The ships of the time had large stern and end castles, three to four masts, and where built for the war tactic of boarding. The oldest ship of the new kind that have been found, is the Griffon-hound, a ship that belonged to the Danish king Hans, and sunk due to a fire 1495 outside of Ronneby in southern Sweden. Besides being the oldest of its kind, the ship also has a very specific figurehead that resembles a monster with a screaming human head in its gap. By discussing and analysing the artworks it is possible to learn more about the ships. After analysing them, the result is that the artworks do show how the ships have evolved. Some of the different attributes that the artworks display have also been found when investigating the wreck of the Griffon-hound. More attributes might still be on the wreck site, hidden under the sediment. An example is the remains of the anti-boarding nets that a lot of the artworks show, and that have been found on the wreck of the Mary Rose, the English ship that belonged to king Henry VIII. The Mary Rose is younger than the Griffon-hound, but artworks of older ships also show the anti-boarding nets, or the beams on top of the castles. The purpose behind having a large variety of different artwork is to increase the knowledge about the ships of the time, and to make sure that the attributes that is being analysed doesn’t only occur in one or two artworks.