The Spring Snowflake

Per Hasselberg (1849 - 1894)

Artist/Maker

Artist: Per Hasselberg (1849 - 1894)

DatesSigned: Signed 1883

Material / Technique

Marble

Dimensionsh: Mått 161 cm mass: Vikt 175 kg

Inventory numberNMSk 746

AcqusitionPurchase 1883

Other titlesTitle (sv): Snöklockan Title (en): The Spring Snowflake

DescriptionDescription: The young woman strikes a pose. Eyes closed, she raises one arm as if she just woke up. The sculpture is typical of the classical salon art, where the nude, objectified female body was at the centre. The sculpture is said to symbolize the arrival of spring. She is portrayed from the perspective of heterosexual male eyes, and the flower is understood as a sign of female puberty. But the young woman’s own desires are neither asked for, nor seen.

Exhibited

Nationalmuseum -> Room 1280 The Sculpture Courtyard

Collection

Sculpture

Geographical origin

Geographical origin: Paris (France)

MaterialMarble (Stone)

Object category

Sculpture

Additional texteExhibition text: Per Hasselberg made his breakthrough in Paris in 1881, when The Snowbell was shown at the Salon and was awarded an honorary mention. Hasselberg proceeded to make several versions of the sculpture in different materials and sizes. Nationalmuseum commissioned one in marble, as did Carl Larsson’s patron Pontus Fürstenberg. Larsson and Hasselberg stood shoulder-to-shoulder in the opposition to the Academy and were also personal friends. After Hasselberg’s death, Carl Larsson proposed a design for the sculptor’s headstone. Description: Many late 19th century sculptures were named after seasons or supernatural creatures and used as metaphors for psychological states. Per Hasselberg’s breakthrough The Spring Snowflake symbolises the coming of spring, but there is not much to tell us this. Instead, the focus is on the young woman’s body. The sculpture portrays the passage from youth to maturity, the sexual awakening. But the woman is depersonalised and passive – her eyes are still closed, unaware of the (male) gaze.