King Karl XII of Sweden

Charles XII, the soldier-king who led Sweden through the Great Northern War, is shown half-length in dark dress against a dark ground, the pale face the single point of light in an otherwise shadowed canvas. Michael Dahl, a Swedish-born painter who built his career in London as one of the leading portraitists of the age, made the picture in the years around 1710 to 1717, when the king was a figure of European fame. The portrait is notable for its restraint: there are no columns, no draperies and no crown, and the impression rests on the king’s own presence rather than the trappings of state. The canvas is held in the Nationalmuseum, Stockholm.