Artwork

Allegori över hur konung Karl XI mottager regeringen av sin moder Hedvig Eleonora

Allegori över hur konung Karl XI mottager regeringen av sin moder Hedvig Eleonora is an oil painting by the French Classical Baroque artist David Klöcker Ehrenstrahl. It dates from 1696 and is held in the collection of the Nationalmuseum.

About this work

Overview

David Klöcker Ehrenstrahl’s 1696 oil painting, titled Allegori över hur konung Karl XI mottager regeringen av sin moder Hedvig Eleonora, presents a formal allegorical scene. Executed in the late seventeenth‑century Swedish court style, the work is part of the Nationalmuseum’s collection and illustrates a ceremonial transfer of authority between the monarch and his mother.

Subject & Meaning

The composition centers on King Charles XI, robed in silver and holding a scepter, receiving a symbolic emblem of power from his mother, Hedvig Eleonora of Holstein‑Gottorp, who is dressed in gold. The surrounding figures, kneeling or standing in period costume, underscore the gravity of the moment, while two cherubic figures interacting with a lion add a mythic layer to the political narrative.

Technique & Style

Ehrenstrahl employs a restrained palette of dark background tones contrasted with luminous garments, creating a chiaroscuro effect that highlights the central figures. The brushwork is smooth and precise, typical of courtly portraiture, while the inclusion of allegorical elements such as cherubs reflects the Baroque fascination with merging history and symbolism.

History & Provenance

Completed in 1696, the painting was likely commissioned to commemorate Charles XI’s assumption of full royal authority under his mother’s guidance. It entered the Nationalmuseum’s holdings as part of the museum’s core collection of Swedish Baroque art, where it remains on display.

Context

The work belongs to a broader tradition of Swedish royal propaganda that emphasized dynastic continuity and divine right. By portraying the queen‑mother as the conduit of power, the painting reinforces the legitimacy of Charles XI’s reign during a period of consolidation after the wars of the late 1600s.