Grosserer, Etatsråd C.H. Donner 1848

Editor: We're looking at a bronze bust of Grosserer, Etatsråd C.H. Donner, created in 1848 by H.W. Bissen, housed here at the SMK. It has this serious, almost severe quality, like a Roman emperor rendered in a somewhat softer, more human style. What captures your attention most about this portrait? Curator: You know, what gets me is the *weight* of it, both literal and figurative. It’s bronze, of course, so there's that, but also the weight of representation, of immortalizing this... Donner fellow. I wonder what he was really like? Did Bissen capture a flicker of his soul or just his...well, his very prominent nose? Think about what it meant to commission a piece like this in 1848, during a time of great social upheaval! Do you think it's glorifying him or making some statement about the power he held? Editor: I suppose it’s doing both. The idealized form does give Donner a certain status, but the work does seem slightly self-conscious. Curator: Precisely! It’s caught between eras, isn't it? A foot in Neoclassical ideals and a hesitant toe dipped into a more modern, psychological portrayal. It's about power, sure, but also, maybe a little bit about the anxiety of maintaining that power during revolutionary times! The little wisps of hair hint at a living person. I keep coming back to that. It’s lovely! Editor: That makes me look at the texture of the bronze differently, imagining the hand that shaped it. Thanks, I appreciate your thoughts. Curator: And thank you! Now I need to know who Donner was as a human being. I can just imagine!