Snöklockan, the Snowdrop, stands before you, a symbol of innocence and awakening. She isn’t just a statue. She’s a story captured in bronze. This young woman, poised on the edge of adulthood, embodies the delicate transition from girlhood to womanhood. The Snöklockan statue, unveiled in November 1900, was a gift to the city from director C.R. Lamm. It holds a special distinction. It was the first public sculpture in Stockholm commissioned solely as a work of art, not to commemorate a famous person.
The original Snöklockan, sculpted by Per Hasselberg in 1881, wasn’t bronze at all. It was plaster. A sixteen-year-old Italian girl, Maria de Filippi, served as his model. Hasselberg found her in the poorer quarters of Paris. He captured her youthful innocence and the promise of womanhood in his sculpture. This plaster original caused quite a stir at the 1881 Paris Salon. It earned an honorable mention, the only Swedish artwork to receive such recognition. This marked Hasselberg’s breakthrough as a prominent artist. The Swedish Nationalmuseum recognized his talent and commissioned a marble copy in 1883. This marble version won a gold medal at the 1883 Salon, further solidifying Hasselberg’s reputation.
Interestingly, Hasselberg first called his creation “Snöskatan,” the snow magpie. Later, he changed it to “Snöklockan,” the Snowdrop, inspired by the delicate flower at the statue’s feet. The snowdrop, peeking through the last vestiges of winter snow, mirrored the young girl’s emergence into womanhood. Hasselberg even incorporated a tattered cloth draped around her abdomen. This cloth, he explained, symbolized the connection between the blossoming flower and the developing young woman. Sadly, shortly after the sculpture was completed, Maria returned to Italy with her mother and passed away at only seventeen.
The Snöklockan became incredibly popular, replicated in various sizes and materials. Bronze casts grace public spaces, while smaller versions in Parian marble adorned private homes. The statue embodies the spirit of early spring, a time of renewal and awakening. It captures a fleeting moment of innocence on the cusp of change, immortalized in bronze for all to admire. The Snöklockan stands here in Mariatorget, a testament to artistic vision and the enduring power of a young woman’s story.