King Christian VII of Denmark (1749-1808), facing right in blue velvet coat with silver embroidered red collar and silver buttons, frilled cravat, powdered wig en queue, wearing the blue moiré sash of the Royal Danish Order of the Elephant, a jewelled crown beside him and red curtain background

Christian VII, King of Denmark and Norway from 1766 was the son and succesor of Frederik V. He suffered from dementia praecox from an early age. He married his English cousin, Caroline Matilda, sister of King George III, in 1768, but she fell in love with the court physician and later privy councillor Count Johann Struensee. Struensee became the Queen's lover and father of her second child and seized effective power but in 1772 was charged with treason and cruelly executed, while the Queen was divorced and exiled to Celle. In 1784 the King was declared insane and relinquished control to his son, Crown Prince Frederik who eventually succeeded the throne as Frederik VI.
For three other similar miniatures by this artist of the same sitter, see M. Olausson/J. Sjöholm, Nationalmuseum Stockholm. Svenska och övriga nordiska miniatyrer, Halmstad, 2001, II, pp. 361, 362 and 368.