DAVID KLÖKER EHRENSTRAHL (Hamburg, 1628-Stockholm, 1698) THE SWEDISH KING CHARLES XII (1682-1718) AS A CHILD Original canvas Titled, signed and dated on the reverse "Carolus Princep Haereditarius Suedae / Aetatis 6 menses / No . 5 / Dd. Klöker Ehrenstrahl . Pinxit . / Ao 1682" ; Bears a number on an old label on the reverse of the canvas "Nor 60". Bears 20th century inscriptions on a label on the reverse of the stretcher "Charles XII King of Sweden 1682-1718 / by Ehrentrahl / from the castle of Salzdahlum near / Brunswick, wich was destroyed during colonie wars". The Swedish king Charles XII as a child, original canvas, signed, titled and dated on reverse. 75 x 82 CM - 29,5 x 32,3 IN. Provenance Salzdahlum Castle, Brunswick (according to a label on the reverse). Born in Hamburg, David Klöcker Ehrenstrahl trained in the Netherlands before travelling to France, England and Italy. He was the most important portraitist at the Swedish court in the second half of the 17th century. Our painting is an official representation of the future Charles XII, shown here aged six months, son of Charles XI and Ulrique-Éléonore of Denmark. His reign was almost entirely devoted to the Great Northern War, which pitted Sweden against a coalition formed by Russia, Saxony and Denmark. Many effigies of the child prince by Ehrenstrahl are known, the best known of which is in Gripsholm Castle (catalogue of the David Klöcker Ehrensthahl Exhibition, Stockholm, Nationalmuseum, 1976, repr. p. 15). Ours comes from Salzdahlum Castle, built by Antoine-Ulrich Duke of Brunswick (1633-1714) to house his extensive art collection.