An equestrian portrait of the Spanish monarch wearing the uniform of a colonel of the Guardia de Corps, with other insignias, such as the Sash of the Order of Carlos III, that of Saint Genaro and the Golden Fleece. This painting was made as a pair to the equestrian portrait of his wife, Queen Maria Luisa de Parma (1751-1818), which is also at the Prado Museum (P720).

The composition reveals Velasquez's influence on Goya, with the figure in the foreground, in front of a landscape. This reference may have come from the equestrian portraits painted for the Hall of Kingdoms at the Buen Retiro palace, of which Goya made etchings in 1778, especially, Velasquez's portrait of Queen margarita of Austria (P1177).

The present work was registered at Madrid's Royal Palace in 1814 and became a part of the Prado Museum collection in 1819.