The image of Julius Caesar holding the ceremonial symbol of office of the college of augurs (lituus) is from the Royal Castle’s historic interiors and is one of four figures of ancient leaders which was installed in the Throne Room. The sculpture imitates an ancient likeness of a Roman in a toga. The head of the figure, which is modelled after likenesses of pseudo-Caesars that were popular in the early modern period, may have been inspired by a portrait in the Vatican collections. Like the sculptures in other interiors of the castle, those in the Throne Room (which was furnished on the initiative of King Stanisław August between 1784 and 1786) were intended to promote specific ideas as well as being closely related to the room’s function. The figures commissioned from Puccinelli could be interpreted as being personifications of the four cardinal virtues that should distinguish every monarch: Scipio symbolized Moderation, Hannibal—Valour, Pompey—Justice and Julius Caesar—Wisdom. Stanisław August may have decided to commission portraits of men that lived during the period of the Roman Republic to encourage reflection about Rome’s history and political system and about ties with tradition. The King’s choice of protagonists may also have been inspired by the fact that all four Roman statesmen appeared in François Fénelon’s highly-popular Dialogues. In the Dialogues Scipio, Hannibal, Pompey and Caesar, who were at odds with one another not only on the battlefield but also in the political area, symbolize “[...] the nonsense of aggressive warfare, the fleetingness of fame obtained at the expense of others, misery, the unclean mechanisms of governance and pride of rulers". This was a patently obvious allusion to the internal disputes in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth in the last quarter of the 18th century. When working on the individual sculptures, Puccinelli imitated the clothing of commanders and borrowed formal solutions from well-known ancient monuments. When evaluating the artist’s skill it is worth noticing that although many parts of the figures reveal an insufficient knowledge of anatomy, the modelling of the drapery, for example, led to the creation of interesting chiaroscuro effects. The sculptures remained in the Throne Room until 1939. From 1939–83 they were housed in the National Museum in Warsaw and were also exhibited in the Old Orangery. In 1983 they were transferred to the rebuilt Royal Castle. Signed and dated Ang. PUCCINELLI Facebat / Romae 1785 on back of base. Inscribed IVLIVS CAESAR on front of base. Julius Caesar, full name Gaius Julius Caesar (100–44 BC), Roman commander, statesman and emperor. In 60 BC he formed the so-called first triumvirate with Pompey and Crassus. His military achievements in Gaul caused concern among certain politician factions, thus leading to his conflict with Pompey. After defeating Pompey at Pharsalus (48 BC) and after many victories in the period 47–44 BC, Caesar was given the title dictator in perpetuity (dictator in perpetuum). He launched a series of reforms in the army and administration and was also responsible for reforming the calendar. He was assassinated as a result of a conspiracy.