Frederick II of Prussia, known as ‘the Great’ was a renowned military leader and patron of the arts. He was related to British Royal Family through his mother, Sophia Dorothea, the only daughter of George I and was a first cousin to Frederick, Prince of Wales. His grandmother, Sophia Charlotte, was George I’s sister.

The portrait was previously considered to be after Anton Graff or Johann Heinrich Christian Franke, both of whom depicted the King in later life. The slightly caricatured features share a closer affinity with the work of Franke. Depicted wearing a green military coat with red collar and the star of the Order of Black Eagle; holding a military baton under his left; wearing a tricorne hat decorated with a jewelled order.