Portrait of Charles II
by CARREÑO DE MIRANDA, Juan, Oil on canvas, 210 x 111 cm
Charles II, King of Spain (1661-1700) is portrayed here at the age of about 14. Carreño was appointed ‘Pintor de C�mara’ in 1671 and for the remainder of the decade painted several portraits of the young King in this precise pose, documenting his growing stature through adolescence. Until 1675 Charles is always depicted, as here, in the Sal�n de los Espejos in the Alc�zar, where Carreño had worked in 1659 under the supervision of Vel�zquez; his left hand resting his hat on the table-top and his right hand loosely holding a letter.