Getty Museum
Carved Relief
Creator
Aubert-Henri-Joseph ParentFrench Artist · 1753–1835
All works by this person →Enraptured by the carved panels of Aubert-Henri-Joseph Parent when they first received widespread public attention in the 1770s, critics commented, "One hardly expects to see such delicacy united with elegance in such a small space." A naturalistically carved relief by Parent showing a basket of flowers mixed with symbols of war and peace so charmed the French king Louis XVI that he placed it in h
More on Getty ULAN- Date
- 1791
- Medium
- Limewood
- Culture
- French
- Department
- Sculpture
- Institution
- Getty Museum
In response to the tumultuous political events of the French Revolution, Aubert Parent created this allegory of the French monarchy and the drafting of the new constitution by the National Assembly. On September 14, 1791, Louis XVI took an oath to support the new political regime. Parent's relief, carved from a single piece of limewood, links a medallion of the Roman Emperor Hadrian, symbolizing the French king, with a medallion of the Roman Senate, representing the National Assembly. The dead bird (the old regime) and the unguarded nest (France) symbolize the failure of the new constitution and the end of the monarchy.
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