Vadstena, Lake Vättern — Aveelen

A grand panoramic view of Vadstena Castle and town on the eastern shore of Lake Vättern, captured at the height of the Swedish Empire.

Engraved by Johannes van den Aveelen. From Suecia Antiqua et Hodierna. Published in Stockholm, 1703.

Vadstena was the spiritual heart of medieval Sweden, home to the Bridgettine mother house and the burial site of Saint Birgitta, while its Renaissance castle, begun under Gustav Vasa, remained a key royal stronghold. Aveelen's plate combines monastic and dynastic memory in a single sweeping composition characteristic of the Suecia project.

Copperplate engraving. Sheet size approximately 34.0 × 44.0 cm. Good.