Frederick II, king of Prussia (1712-86) is depicted here in the uniform of the Prussian Life Guards and wearing the star of the Order of the Black Eagle. Frederick was the son of Frederick I, King of Prussia, whom he succeeded as Frederick II in 1740. On his accession he embarked on a campaign to win the prosperous Austrian province of Silesia during the Silesian Wars (1740-45). He achieved military acclaim for himself and Prussia and is best known for his brilliance in military campaigning and his organisation and reform of the Prussian army. He also encouraged industry, agriculture and judicial reform, and was a cultured aesthete who loved music, architecture and philosophy, even corresponding at length with Voltaire.

This portrait head is taken from Die Wachtparade (The Review of Troops), painted by Daniel Nikolaus Chodowiecki in Berlin in 1773 and known through many variants and engravings. It shows Frederick reviewing the Prussian Guards, but in this miniature he is without the three-cornered hat he wears in the original. The image was popular and sometimes used to decorate porcelain.

The identity of the artist is unknown.