Born in Paris, Henri Gascar was an international artist who worked in France, the Netherlands, England and Italy. Arriving in England in 1674, Gascar worked at the court of Charles II where he painted portraits of elite sitters, including some in allegorical guises. Returning to Paris in 1679, he was made a member of the Académie Royale in 1680 before leaving a year later for Rome, where he died in 1701. The woman in the present portrait has been traditionally identified as Madame de FitzJames.