The sitter was the second and surviving son of Frederick Christian, Elector of Bavaria, and Maria An-tonia, Princess of Bavaria. Through his father he was descended from two kings of Poland. Heavily involved in the opposition to Napoleon’s invasion of central Europe, opposed by Prussia, Austria, Poland and finally Saxony, Frederick Augustus was finally obliged to conclude a peace with the Emperor, who raised Saxony to a kingdom in 1806, also creating its new king the Duke of Warsaw. As a consequence Frederick Augustus was denied participation in the Congress of Vienna and had to witness the dismemberment of his kingdom in favour of Prussia. In the same year as the Congress he abdicated his position as ruler of Warsaw as a result of the partition of Poland between Russia, Prussia and Austria.In spite of this he remained a popular, though conservative, king of Saxony. Lacking male issue by his wife the Countess Palatine Amalie, he was succeeded by his brother Anton.

Bacciarelli was born in Rome but like his Italian contemporary Bernardo Bellotto moved north to enjoy the patronage of the rulers of Saxony and Poland. He arrived in Dresden in 1750 at the behest of Elected King Augustus III of Poland. It was here that he met Bellotto, with whom he collaborated for the rest of his life. After a visit to Vienna, where he executed portraits of the daughters of the Em-press Maria Teresa, he moved to Warsaw, and here, in 1766, King Stanislaw II Augustus appointed him Director of the Royal Buildings and Estates. In addition he painted portraits of nearly all the Polish Kings, including one his royal patron. Many of these, together with scenes of Polish history, can be seen in the Royal Castle of Warsaw. Bacciarelli painted a half-length state portrait of Frederick Augustus in 1809, for which this work may be a study.