Att iscensätta en dynasti : Om smycken i Elisabet Vasas hemgift 1581

Sammanfattning: On May 7, 1581, Elisabet Vasa, Princess of Sweden, married Duke Kristoffer of Mecklenburg. The Princess was equipped with a large dowry and, by Swedish standards, an extensive collection of objects, including jewellery. The essay's thesis is that the official jewellery that Elisabet brought with her to her new court were identity-creating symbols of a performative nature that would consciously strengthen the legitimacy of the new Vasa dynasty on the international stage. The essay is based on a comparative analysis of inventories from 1581, 1593 and 1597. The essay examines and discusses the donors' and recipient's agency, or "touch", and intentions with the jewellery. The essay's result shows that parts of the thesis - that the official jewellery that Elisabet brought with her among the gifts in 1581 were identity-creating symbols of a performative nature - appear to be highly probable based on the few but significant art acts that have been possible to trace in sources and archives. According to the material of the existing study, however, the jewellery did not fulfil its intended function of strengthening the Vasa dynasty and its legitimacy on the international stage as Elisabet herself had different intentions and apparently actively worked to assimilate to her new environment as Duchess of Mecklenburg.