Updated November 2026 · ranked by our popularity score (searches, visits and orders for each work) · 17 works by Charles Boit in our catalogue
In short
To the gallery's eye, Charles Boit's most famous painting is Leopold I in the Circle of the Family (1703), whose original hangs in the Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. William III (1708) and Unknown man (1694) complete the trio every eye recognises. Of the 17 works by Charles Boit in our catalog, the gallery presents the 17 most famous below, each original with its year, its museum and what makes it unique.
In this work, titled Leopold I in the Circle of the Family, the artist Charles Boit presents a formal and highly structured portrait from 1703. The piece focuses on Emperor Leopold I, who is depicted surrounded by his family members. It is a work that functions on both a personal and a political level, using the intimacy of a family gathering to communicate broader dynastic themes. Through this arrangement, the…
The gaze of William III meets the viewer through this intimate portrait miniature, a work that captures the essence of the man who reigned as King of England from 1689. Known to history as the Prince of Orange, his presence is distilled into this small, focused likeness. The portrait, titled William III, emerges from the hand of the artist Charles Boit, who brings a sense of quiet authority to the…
Portrait of a BaronFinnish National Gallery
12
Anna, Queen of England and ScotlandNationalmuseum
13
August II den starke (1670-1733), kurfurste av Sachsen, kung av PolenNationalmuseum
14
Bacchus and AriadneNationalmuseum
15
Lord Godolphin (efter original av G. Kneller?)Nationalmuseum
16
Peter I den store (1672-1725), tsar av RysslandNationalmuseum
17
Anne (1665-1714), queen of England (1702-1714)Nationalmuseum
The four subjects that come back most often in these originals, each with its finest example.
The 4 museums that hold the most of the paintings on this page.
| Museum | City | Works by Charles Boit | Paintings from this list |
|---|---|---|---|
 Nationalmuseum |
Stockholm | 12 | Unknown man, Francis, 2nd Earl of Godolphin, with wife, Caritas (Boit after Cignani) resp. Anne-Geneviève de Bourbon, Duchess de Longueville (Petitot) |
 Rijksmuseum |
Amsterdam | 3 | William III, Mary II Stuart, Anne Stuart (1665-1714), Queen of England. Spouse of George of Denmark |
 Kunsthistorisches Museum |
Vienna | 1 | Leopold I in the Circle of the Family |
 Finnish National Gallery |
Helsinki | 1 | Portrait of a Baron |
Pick a decade to see the original that defines it.
In this work, titled Leopold I in the Circle of the Family, the artist Charles Boit presents a formal and highly structured portrait from 1703. The piece focuses on Emperor Leopold I, who is depicted surrounded by his family members. It is a work that functions on both a personal and a political level, using the intimacy of a family gathering to communicate broader dynastic themes. Through this arrangement, the…
Leopold I in the Circle of the Family (1703), Kunsthistorisches Museum, Vienna. William III (1708) and Unknown man (1694) come next.
41 years old: Leopold I in the Circle of the Family dates from 1703, and Charles Boit was born in 1662.
Leopold I in the Circle of the Family, William III, Unknown man, Francis, 2nd Earl of Godolphin, with wife, Caritas (Boit after Cignani) resp. Anne-Geneviève de Bourbon, Duchess de Longueville (Petitot), Mary II Stuart, Anne Stuart (1665-1714), Queen of England. Spouse of George of Denmark, Peter I the Great, Tsar of Russia, Peter I the Great (1672-1725), Tsar of Russia and Unknown Man. The ranking above gives each one's year and museum.
Our catalog holds 17 works by Charles Boit, dated from 1694 to 1717.
Mostly in Nationalmuseum (Stockholm), Rijksmuseum (Amsterdam) and Kunsthistorisches Museum (Vienna). The museum table above lists them all.
In 1700s: 4 of the 17 works on this page were made then, Leopold I in the Circle of the Family among them.
On this page, the earliest is Unknown man (1694) and the latest Peter I the Great, Tsar of Russia (1717).
Enamel, for 2 of the 17 works on this page.
Unknown man, Francis, 2nd Earl of Godolphin, with wife and Caritas (Boit after Cignani) resp. Anne-Geneviève de Bourbon, Duchess de Longueville (Petitot): the Nationalmuseum, Stockholm holds 12 of the works on this page.
Stockholm, 1662. A child is born into a Huguenot family, the son of a merchant who manages the royal indoor tennis court. The boy’s path begins not with a brush, but with the heavy, precise tools of a goldsmith. At fifteen, he enters an apprenticeship, learning the discipline of metal and fire. By 1682, he is a journeyman. A brief three-month stint in Paris pulls him away from Sweden, yet the pull of his roots remains strong enough to lead him back to Gothenburg to marry.
The transition from metalwork to vitreous enamel happens through the influence of Pierre Signac. This master, who had served the court of Queen Christina, provides the technical bridge. The focus shifts from the structural rigidity of gold to the delicate, translucent chemistry of enamel on copper. It is a transformation of medium, moving from the solid to the luminous.
1687. He arrives in England. The early years are marked by struggle; he works as a drawing master for children to survive. A scandal involving a scholar's daughter leads to two years in prison, yet the gates of the court eventually swing open. In 1696, he is appointed official enameller to William III. Success follows quickly. He moves through London, painting subjects from life and establishing a reputation that commands extraordinary sums.
The scale of his ambition becomes visible in his commissions. One project for Queen Anne, an allegorical enamel commemorating the Battle of Blenheim, consumes nearly a decade of his life. The technical demands are immense. He builds a furnace in Mayfair, creating heat so intense it threatens to calcine the very ground he works upon. He spends hundreds of pounds on failed attempts at the enamel ground alone. The project is massive, intended to be over 60cm by 40cm, featuring the Queen, Prince George, and figures of Victory and Peace.
The end of this era is sudden. The death of Prince George halts the work. Political shifts at court demand changes to the design—replacing Victory with Peace. Financial pressure mounts. When asked to return the advances paid for the commission, he flees. He leaves England behind, moving through Holland and Düsseldorf toward Vienna.
1715. The flight ends in Paris. He is no longer a fugitive but a man under the protection of the duc d'Aumont and the Regent, Philip of Orléans. His technical skill secures him a place in the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture, becoming the first Swede to join in 1717. In this final chapter, his work returns to the intimate scale of the miniature.
His late output includes portraits of the French elite and even depictions of the Sun King, Louis XV. The technique remains rooted in that original mastery of enamel on copper, producing small, oval miniatures that capture the likenesses of European royalty. He remains in Paris, working until his death in 1727.
