France. NUDE WITH BIRDS AND A SQUIRREL. By Jean Vernon. Uniface Copper 80mm. Monnaie de Paris cornucopia stamp on its edge, but not recorded in the Catalogue Général Illustré. $375. Sorry, SOLD (December, 2023)

Jean Émile Louis de Vernon (known as Jean Vernon) was the son of medallist and sculptor Frédéric-Charles Victor de Vernon. He was born in Paris on April 1, 1897. Vernon studied at the École  des Arts Décoratifs and at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, under Jules Coutan and Hippolyte Jules Lefèbvre. He first exhibited at the Salon des Artistes Français in 1922 and won a silver medal in 1924 and a gold medal in 1936. Vernon worked primarily as a sculptor, but created medals, including his famous series of medals depicting scenes from Jean de la Fontaine’s Fables. He died in Paris on September 9, 1975.