Portrait of the Duke de Loubat 20th century

This is Frédéric Charles Victor de Vernon’s “Portrait of the Duke de Loubat,” from around 1910, and it's made of bronze. I mean, who doesn’t love a medal? The Duke’s profile is striking, with an almost sculptural relief. Vernon hasn’t concealed his process at all: you can trace every indentation, every curve. The way the light catches the brow, the slope of the nose, you can imagine Vernon meticulously working away at the metal, carefully crafting each detail. The other side is so ornate! Look at that crown! The heraldic emblems, the draping, the lions… all these decorative flourishes speak of power and history. It’s like reading a family tree. I’m reminded of Rodin, another sculptor who wrestled with the surface of bronze. Like Rodin, Vernon transforms a relatively small object into something monumental, not just in size but in its ability to speak across time. Art is always a conversation, isn’t it?