The image of Pompey standing, wearing a toga, 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 may have been inspired by the huge statue in the Palazzo Spada in Rome, which, in fact, most probably commemorates Domitian. 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 1786 on back of base. Inscribed POMPEIVS MAGNVS on front of base. Pompey, full name Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus (106–48 BC), Roman commander and consul. He fought in Spain against the Seleucid Empire and King Mithridates of Pontus. In 71 BC he quashed a slave rebellion together with Crassus. In 60 BC he formed the so-called first triumvate with Julius Caesar and Crassus. Fearing Caesar’s increasing power, he rebelled against him and took over command of the army. He was defeated at the Battle of Pharsalus (in 48 BC) and fled to Egypt where he was murdered. V