On July 27, 1696, stable hand Anders Ek managed to catch an albino squirrel. As Karl XI was interested in nature it was brought directly to him and put in a cage. In the painting, however, the squirrel is depicted in a landscape where it sits under a tree, gnawing on a nut. In a letter from the king on February 12, 1697, Ehrenstrahl receives the assignment to paint the rare animal.