Who painted Konung Karl XI:s uppfostran. Allegori?

Konung Karl XI:s uppfostran. Allegori was painted by David Klöcker Ehrenstrahl in 1668.

Where can I see Konung Karl XI:s uppfostran. Allegori?

Konung Karl XI:s uppfostran. Allegori is held by Nationalmuseum.

What movement is Konung Karl XI:s uppfostran. Allegori?

Konung Karl XI:s uppfostran. Allegori is associated with Flemish Baroque painting.

Artwork

Konung Karl XI:s uppfostran. Allegori

David Klöcker Ehrenstrahl , 1668

Konung Karl XI:s uppfostran. Allegori is an oil painting by the Flemish Baroque painting artist David Klöcker Ehrenstrahl. It dates from 1668 and is held in the collection of the Nationalmuseum.

About this work

Overview

David Klöcker Ehrenstrahl’s oil painting, dated 1668, is titled “Konung Karl XI:s uppfostran. Allegori.” The work is part of the collection at Sweden’s Nationalmuseum. Executed in the late‑seventeenth‑century Baroque idiom, it presents a staged, allegorical tableau that references the formative years of King Charles XI of Sweden.

Subject & Meaning

At the centre of the composition stand a woman in a gold‑toned gown, winged and encircled by a halo, and a man clad in a blue robe.

At the centre of the composition stand a woman in a gold‑toned gown, winged and encircled by a halo, and a man clad in a blue robe. The woman holds a diminutive object while gazing at the man, who raises a plant crowned with a small regal emblem. The symbolic attributes suggest an allegory of instruction, with the celestial figure embodying divine guidance and the crowned plant representing royal authority.

Technique & Style

Ehrenstrahl employs a refined chiaroscuro, modelling the figures through contrasts of light and shadow that lend volume to the richly textured fabrics and marble architecture. The palette balances warm golds and cool blues, while the meticulous rendering of drapery, columnar details, and the distant landscape demonstrates the artist’s command of naturalistic detail within an idealised, allegorical framework.

History & Provenance

The painting was completed in 1668, shortly after Charles XI’s accession, and was likely commissioned to celebrate his upbringing under the guidance of learned tutors. It entered the Nationalmuseum’s holdings in the nineteenth century, where it has remained a documented example of Swedish court portraiture and allegorical art.

Context

Ehrenstrahl, a leading court painter in Sweden, frequently blended portraiture with allegorical symbolism to convey political messages. This work reflects the period’s emphasis on monarchic education as a moral and civic duty, aligning the young king’s development with divine sanction and the virtues of learned governance prevalent in European Baroque court culture.