This wooden, polychrome bust, in the collection of the Louvre, was previously attributed to the circle of Desiderio da Settignano, and formerly known only as la Belle Florentine from the place of its creation. But a restoration undertaken in 2005/2006 revealed a missing inscription which restored the work's identity. Though damaged and fragmentary, the inscription undoubtedly signifies that the figure represents Saint Constance, virgin and martyr, and apparently a companion of Saint Ursula. (Though the Louvre's history of the saint seems much more than a bit confused.)
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| Linden with traces of polychrome gold, plant fiber, gesso, poplar - height: 0.5 m / 21.6 in; width: 0.4 m / 18.5 in; depth: 0.2 m / 10.6 in; weight: 7.9 kg / 17.42 lbs. |
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Inscription painted on the belt: [DO]ROTHEI REGIS CO[N]STA[N]TI[N] OPO[LITANI] - back; [SANCTA CON]STA[NTIA FIL]IA - front |
Flavia Valeria Constantina was the eldest daughter of Roman emperor Constantine the Great, but during the Middle Ages she developed a legend, the origins of which are unclear. And her story is told in the Golden Legend - a collection of one hundred and fifty-three biographies of the saints, the work of Jacobus de Voragine - a story wildly at variance with what is known of the historical figure's actual character.
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