Portrait of the Artist's Parents, Marie-Rose-Bonne Delaporte Patey and Jacques-Jérôme-Xavier Patey

Henri-Auguste-Jules Patey

National Gallery of Art

The sculpture is a bronze relief depicting the profiles of an elderly man and woman facing each other. The woman has her hair styled in a bun and is on the left, while the man has distinctive facial hair and is on the right. Both figures are shown in profile against a flat background in high relief. The bronze material gives the sculpture a uniform brownish hue with variations due to light and shadows. The relief includes inscriptions around the figures in capitals, Roman numerals, and Latin phrases. The flat, rectangular form suggests it might be a commemorative plaque or medal.