The versatile Oscar Björck painted this magnificent portrait of Oscar II in coronation robes to mark the king’s silver jubilee in 1897. It was probably the artist’s friend, Prince Eugen, who had suggested that Björck should paint his grand image of the ageing king, as an initial draft of it is to be found in the prince’s collections. There, the palette is still dark and restrained, but in the final version the colours have become both vibrant and warm.