(Berlin 1717–1797 Neustrelitz)
Portrait of the Duke (later Grand Duke) Karl II of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, half-length, wearing the uniform of a Hanoverian General and the Polish order of the White Eagle,
oil on canvas, 82.5 x 65 cm, framed

We are grateful to Helmut Börsch-Supan for endorsing the attribution of the present painting.

Duke Charles Louis Frederick of Mecklenburg was born in rural Mecklenburg. His father was the recipient of an apanage in Mirow, where Charles and his siblings Charlotte, Christiane, Ernest and Adolphus Frederick received a comprehensive education. They knew Latin, Greek, and French and read books by classical authors in their original language. As a younger son of a junior branch of the house of Mecklenburg, Charles was unlikely to play an important role on the European scale, but in 1761, his sister Charlotte married King George III of Great Britain. Queen Charlotte helped secure important positions for her family. Charles made frequent visits to his sister in Great Britain, and he ultimately entered the service of his brother-in-law with a chief military appointment at Hanover. In the autumn of 1776, Charles was appointed governor-general of the Dukedom and Electorate of Hanover by his brother-in-law. As governor of Hanover, Charles effectively held all the powers of a sovereign ruler. His brother-in-law had no wish to reside in Germany, being thoroughly English. The present portrait would appear to date to the earlier days of Charles service to George III. The portrait of him by Ziesenis was most likely executed at the same time (Royal Collection, London, inv. no. RCIN 402463).

In 1768 Charles married Princess Friederike of Hesse-Darmstadt, with whom he had ten children. In December 1785, Charles requested permission to retire from his military employments in Hanover and resign the governorship. His brother-in-law granted his request, promoted Charles to the rank of field marshal and granted him a pension. Following the death of his childless older brother Adolf Friedrich IV on 2 June 1794, Charles succeeded him as the ruling Duke of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. An enlightened ruler, he introduced agricultural reforms, a new police force, and made education compulsory for the first time. Following the congress of Vienna, he was elevated to the rank of Grand Duke in 1815.

The present painting in its noble sophistication and strong colouring can be considered one of the best works by Daniel Woge, a pupil of Antoine Pesne. The artist excels at depicting a remarkably realistic likeness, as well as painting delicate lace and elaborate gold embroidery. His oeuvre has only recently been subject of scholarly discussion, probably owing to the fact that he spent the majority of his artistic life, from 1752 to 1797 in the relatively provincial Duchy of Mecklenburg-Strelitz. This is all the more remarkable, as his artistic output reveals a very gifted and able portraitist. Little is known about Woge’s early training before being apprenticed to Pesne, nor of his subsequent training. But it can be assumed that, apart from Pesne, he was also influenced by other French artists and must have travelled to other courts. The portrait of Charles is a characteristic work by Woge and is of a great elegance. A portrait of Charles siblings is very similar in the rendering of the physiognomies (Daniel Woge, Portrait of Duke Adolphus Frederick IV and his siblings: Adolphus Frederick IV of Mecklenburg-Strelitz, Christiane, and Prince Ernest, Staatliches Museum Schwerin, inv. no. G 2243), as is a portrait of Princess Christiane zu Mecklenburg-Strelitz playing the harp (Dorotheum, 21 October 2014, lot 113, now Neustrelitz, Kulturquartier). Equally comparable is Woge’s Portrait of Christiane, now at Windsor Castle (Royal Collection, Windsor Castle, inv. no. RCIN 402813).