Vasa or Wasa is a Swedish warship built in 1626-1628. The ship foundered and sank after sailing less than a nautical mile into her maiden voyage on 10 August 1628. Vasa was decorated with sculptures intended to glorify the authority, wisdom and martial prowess of the monarch and also to deride, taunt and intimidate the enemy. The symbolism used in decorating the ship was mostly based on the Renaissance idealization of Roman and Greek antiquity.
