The vigorous carving of this portrait is reminiscent of the work of François Dieussart (circa 1600-1661), who started his career in Rome, where he worked between 1622-30. Little is known of his movements between 1630 and 1636, when he became Court Sculptor to King Charles I of England, however, like many sculptors of the day, it can be assumed that he travelled between the north and the south in search of work. He went straight from England in 1641 to the Hague, where he executed various busts of the ruling family, including one of Leopold Wilhelm, Regent of the Netherlands (cf. Avery, fig. 37), which is similar in style to the present bust.
Stephane Derville was a collector, the owner of marble quarries and President of the Paris-Lyons-Marseilles Railway Company. He was a friend of Jean-Baptiste Carpeaux, became interested in sculpture, principally in marble, and decorated the grounds around his house, Parc d'Ombrevale near Paris, with pieces dating from the Ancient to the 19th Century