Statue of Mammon

This sculpture named Mammon, made in 1922 in fully gilded plaster, was made by Ellen Roosval von Hallwyll and signifies greed (Sundström 2023). The figure of Mammon is mentioned in the Bible and has meanings linked to money and material wealth, they are usually seen in a negative light and as something that is in conflict with God (Petruzzello 2025). Mammon has been exhibited at Ellens only solo expedition in Stockholm and has also had a place in her home Muramaris on Gotland (Sundström 2023).
Ellen Roosval Von Hallwyll herself was born in 1867 into a wealthy family and became, among other things, the first Swedish woman to carve her own stone sculptures. She began her art studies in Berlin and only in 1910 did sculpting become her primary art form (Bergström 2018).
In addition to her art and sculptures, she is also known for a scandal at the time. Ellen von Hallwyll married a lieutenant at the age of 20 and they had a son together. The son in turn had a tutor who Ellen fell in love with, and she filed for divorce. This in itself not proper at the time, but what made it even more so scandalous was that the tutor, Johnny Roosval, was also 12 years her junior (Bergström 2018).  

Ellen von Hallwyll was an artist and musician accomplishing astonishing things in spite of the society she was born into. She led the life of her choosing and is remembered for it even one hundred years later.

Ellen Fredrika Wilhelmina Roosval von Hallwyll, svenskt kvinnobiografiskt lexikon (artikel av Irja Bergström). https://skbl.se/sv/artikel/EllenRoosvalvonHallwyl [Accessed 2026-01-05]. 

Petruzzello, Melissa (2025). mammon. Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/mammon [Accessed: 2026-01-05]. 

Sundström, Karl (2023). Skulptur. Digitalt museum. https://digitaltmuseum.se/0210213431723/skulptur  [Accessed: 2026-01-05]. 

Moa Gustafsson