James Hamilton, 2nd Marquess of Hamilton, was a noblemen who followed James VI to London when he became James I of England and settled there, leaving his wife in Scotland to run his estates. A collector of Italian paintings and an elegant dancer much in demand at Court masques, Hamilton was a close friend and adviser of the King, who made him Lord Steward of the Royal Household. This picture is one of several copies of the original painted by Daniel Mytens.