| Abstrakt: |
Abstract: The article compares the lion theme in the portraits of Emperor Rudolf II with its occurrence in the iconography of Queen Christina, Kings Gustav Adolf and Charles XI in Sweden and relates it to the realities of the life of their courts. The much-attended presence of a lion captured from Prague Castle and brought to the Stockholmer Hof serves as the starting point of the considerations. As a traditional heraldic and symbolic motif, the lion is naturally one of the self-evident motifs of the "Fürstenpanegyrik". A conclusion, however, that one obtains from different sources is that Rudolf II particularly felt a personal affinity with this animal. The lion made also a magnificent impression on little Charles XI. The interest in animals, which apparently went far beyond the usual level, made it tempting to suspect a connection with realities behind the pictorial symbols. |
