About this artwork

In this German print Charles is shown as a majestic figure wearing court dress and royal regalia. This is in stark contrast to the images of the King in the other execution scenes in this display, where he is shown in modest clothes. Contemporary accounts claim that Charles wore two shirts for his execution to prevent him from shivering - it was a bitterly cold January day - and he was concerned that the crowd would think he was shivering from fear.

There is a lot of detail in this print, particularly in the architecture and figures. The masked executioners give this work a macabre feel.

Updated before 2020

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