In shining armour and blowing robe, Karl XII is staged as if on a theatre scene. The portrait is entirely in the style of the French courtly Baroque - with one exception: the king wears no wig. The short hair had become Karl XII’s trademark, a symbol of the soldier king. The painting was commissioned by Sweden's ambassador to Paris for his residence. The ambassador had borrowed a portrait of the king from Sweden in order to achieve the likeness.