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In 1621, at the request of duke Henri II, the Nancy City Council signed a contract with founders Antoine and David Chaligny to create a monumental equestrian statue of duke Charles III. Inspired by the statue of Cosimo I de' Medici, erected in Florence by Jean de Bologne, and that of Henri IV in Paris, this work was intended for the main square of the Ville-Neuve in Nancy, in front of the town hall (today's Place Charles III). However, the project fell through, and Antoine Chaligny only completed the horse in 1632. The occupation of Lorraine by French armies brought the project to a definitive halt. In 1670, king Louis XIV had the horse transferred to Paris, at great expense and with great difficulty, given the monumental size of the work. The plan was to use it for a royal equestrian statue. This never was not to be and the horse disappeared from documentary sources around 1680. It is to believe that the bronze was salvaged and melted down.

All that remains of this grandiose project is this small bronze model, probably executed in 1621, during the contract between the founders and the City of Nancy. It depicts duke Charles III with his baton of command in his hand. The horse looks like that of Jean de Bologne. Although the duke's posture is stiff and his chest somewhat constricted, the sculptors nevertheless endeavoured to idealise their model, in particular his silhouette, which is very different from that usually conveyed to us by his engraved portraits.

 Restored in 2008