Parent AUBERT (1754-1835).Exceptional medallion in carved lime tree with an allegorical representation of Pope Pius VI.Signed A.J. Parent and dated 1783 on the edge of the oval medallion with the profile of the sovereign pontiff.Dimensions of the medallion: 38 x 30 cm.The work is carefully presented in a glass rosewood frame that was custom-made in the 19th century.A tangle of flowers is articulated around the medallion and at the bottom a nest shelters a brood of birds fed by the mother.An angel supports the chain that hangs the medallion just below the armorial papal crown. A similar work was made by Aubert Parent for King Louis XVI in 1777, it was one of his first works.The sovereign installed it in the interior dining room of the Palace of Versailles.In 1784, the king financed a trip to Italy to enrich his education. The works of this artist's hand are very rare on the market.His work is characteristic: he excels in relief carving in lime wood, his finesse is unrivalled with an extraordinary attention to detail. The model we present here could be a diplomatic gift to his holiness. On January 30, 2014, Sotheby's sold a very similar work with a medallion in the centre, bearing the effigy of Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia, executed in 1782 and exhibited in the Correspondence Room in 1783.In fact Aubert parent has made various sculptures for the crowned heads of Europe. During the French Revolution, he went into exile in Switzerland.Back in France, he settled in Valenciennes where he spent the rest of his life teaching fine arts. He died at the age of 81 in the same town, where his grave can be found.