Bernard Lens was the first artist in England to work in watercolour on ivory. The technique had been invented by the Venetian artist Rosalba Carriera (1675–1757). But Lens also worked on vellum (fine animal skin). In this, he was catering for the consciously old-fashioned taste of some collectors. This miniature is painted on vellum and has the solid blue background typical of 16th- and early 17th-century miniatures. It thus appears to be a ‘traditional’ miniature of historical character.

Early 18th-century antiquarians had a passion for collecting ‘heads’ (portraits of famous people). Horace Walpole, who was an amateur pupil of Bernard Lens, typified this mania. He had a collection of thousands of prints and paintings of celebrities.