Pfalzgraf Friedrich Michael von Zweibrücken-Birkenfeld

Count Palatine Friedrich Michael of Zweibrücken, the younger brother of Duke Christian IV of Palatine-Zweibrücken, pursued a military career. In this portrait, Louis Tocqué—a pupil of Jean-Marc Nattier—emphasises less the martial side and more the courtly elegance of the still young officer who was in the service of the French at the time the picture was painted. Friedrich Michael’s son, Maximilian Joseph, who was born in 1756, later first became Elector and then King of Bavaria.