Swabia, last quarter of the 15th century Saint Florian Polychrome and gilded limewood sculpture in the round Height : 74 cm (Minor accidents and missing parts, old restorations) Resting on a later walnut base with a plaque bearing the engraved inscription 'A Celuy qui tous les feux / parfaitement soumet / Octobre MDCXCVI'. Total height (with spear and base): 123 cm Saint Florian, sculpture in polychrome and gilded lime tree, Swabia, end of the 15th C. H.: 29.13 in. Provenance: Given to Abbé Melchior de Polignac (1661-1741) by the Prince of Conti in the 17th century to thank him for having favoured his accession to the Polish throne in 1696-1697 (according to family tradition); Polignac family, Château de Pommery, near Reims, in the 20th century; Then by descent; Rémy de Polignac Collection, Bayonne Representing Florian of Lorch (c. 250 - c. 304), our statue takes up all the iconographic codes of the patron saint of Poland: standing proudly, clad in purple and his cuirass, he holds the staff of a standard in one hand, while with the other he extinguishes the fire of a town represented in miniature. A saint from the Austrian banks of the Danube, Florian de Lorch is said to have been tortured before drowning in the Enns River with a stone tied around his neck. In the course of his life, he is said to have extinguished an entire town fire with just a bucket of water. The motto "A Celuy qui tous feux parfaitement soumet" is inscribed on the base. The iconography of the saint is easy to understand when you realise that, according to family tradition, the statue was a gift from the Prince of Conti (1664-1709) to Abbé Melchior de Polignac (1661-1697), after he had helped him accede to the Polish throne in 1696-1697. Governed by an elective monarchy, the Kingdom of Poland regularly aroused the envy of the princes of Europe who wished to place their pawns there. Encouraged by Louis XIV, with the help of the Abbé de Polignac, the Prince of Conti was elected King of Poland after the death of Jean Sobieski (1629-1696). A clever strategy on the part of the King of France, the election was part of his desire to keep the princes of the blood away from the court in order to strengthen the central power and European influence of the French monarchy. The events were thus part of a long tradition of close political and diplomatic relations between France and Poland. Once in Warsaw, however, the Prince was sent back to France by the Elector of Saxony, Auguste II Le Fort (1670-1733), who had already seized the throne. Swabia, last quarter of the 15th century Representing Florian of Lorch (c. 250 - c. 304), our statue takes up all the iconographic codes of the patron saint of Poland: standing proudly, clad in purple and his cuirass, he holds the staff of a standard in one hand, while with the other he extinguishes the fire of a town represented in miniature. A saint from the Austrian banks of the Danube, Florian de Lorch is said to have been tortured before drowning in the Enns River with a stone tied around his neck. In the course of his life, he is said to have extinguished an entire town fire with just a bucket of water. The motto "A Celuy qui tous feux parfaitement soumet" is inscribed on its base. The iconography of the saint is easy to understand when you realise that, according to family tradition, the statue was a gift from the Prince of Conti (1664-1709) to Abbé Melchior de Polignac (1661-1697), after he had helped him accede to the Polish throne in 1696-1697. Governed by an elective monarchy, the Kingdom of Poland regularly aroused the envy of the princes of Europe who wished to place their pawns there. Encouraged by Louis XIV, with the help of the Abbé de Polignac, the Prince of Conti was elected King of Poland after the death of Jean Sobieski (1629-1696). A skilful strategy on the part of the King of France, the election was part of his desire to keep the princes of the blood away from the court in order to strengthen the central power and European influence of the French monarchy. The events were thus part of a long tradition of close political and diplomatic relations between France and Poland. Once in Warsaw, however, the Prince was sent back to France by the Elector of Saxony, Auguste II Le Fort (1670-1733), who had already seized the throne.