Charles XII of Sweden was the only surviving son of Charles XI and Ulrika Eleanora and inherited the crown from his father in 1697. Charles XII’s reign was dominated by the Great Northern War against Denmark, Poland and Russia and he eventually died in battle, during an assault against Norway.

His soldierly image was disseminated in portraits. In the present work, the King stands on the battlefield, pointing to the action behind him. He wears military dress, composed of a long blue coat, yellow waistcoat, buff gloves and belt and elksin breeches. Here, he is depicted with his natural hair, without a full wig as was common to wear at the time. The lion at his side was a symbol of Swedish royalty from the reign of Gustavus Adolphus onwards, highlighting royal lineage and Sweden’s military power.

Deutschlender painted at least one other portrait of Charles XII (last sold at auction, December 2015), part of a set of miniatures portraying Swedish kings and queens, including Charles XI, Frederik I and Ulrike Eleanora. These works are reduced size copies after coronation portraits by artists including David von Krafft and Georg Englehardt Schroder. It’s likely that the present portrait is also a copy after a full-size portrait.

Charles XII’s pose is repeated in a miniature by Carl Gustaf Cronhiort (Nationalmuseum of Sweden NMGrh 2480) and in full-sized portraits by George Engelhard Schroder after von Krafft (University of Oxford) and Johan Friedrich Wedekind (Nationalmuseum of Sweden, NMGrh 414).