This portrait of the laurel-wreathed Charles XI in ancient costume can be dated to 1661, roughly a year after he became king of Sweden at the age of 5. He wears a cuirass, sandals and a cloak, whose original colour seems to have faded. The fierce lions flanking the throne and the subject’s commanding body language lend a martial character to the image. Klöcker had encountered the formal idiom of Rome on his travels and introduced the all’antica portrait to Sweden at this time.