When Godefridus Schalcken embarked for England in the late spring of 1692 he was, by every measure, an internationally acclaimed artist whose reputation preceded his arrival. There he would join a large number of foreign artists, many of whom had emigrated from the Low Countries, drawn by fortuitous cultural and economic factors that were slowly securing England's position as one of Europe's preeminent powers. Although many of his colleagues would struggle in their new surroundings, Schalcken experienced great success in London, the nation's fashionable and prosperous capital. He settled in York Buildings, a small neighborhood within the parish of St. Martin-in-the-Fields, a parish that had long served as a center for the production of goods and services for the nearby court. This location therefore harbored great promise for Schalcken to secure work from distinguished clientele. Early on, the Dutch master probably devoted much of his energy to creating genre paintings, especially those featuring candlelight settings, for he was already renowned for such works. Gradually, he developed a network of clients and began to enjoy a comfortable income, and so turned to portraiture, a genre to which he would increasingly devote himself during the remainder of his four-year stay in London.

Schalcken also managed to secure a principal patron who held various positions at court and was an intimate of William III’s: Sir John Lowther (1655–1700), 2nd Baronet (and from 1696, 1st Viscount Lonsdale). Lowther's handwritten inventory of his extensive art collection reveals his ownership of no less than five portraits by the artist (see Figs. 21, 22), along with two genre paintings. By 1694–95, Schalcken's portraiture business was flourishing; surviving portraits testify to his ability to secure commissions from prominent members of London society, including wealthy merchants (Fig. 14), leading barristers (Fig. 15), and influential members of the court. These portraits reveal a protean artist who was able to adapt his style to the demands of his sitters in an effort to market himself effectively in this foreign country. If a particular patron demanded it (Fig. 22), he could paint in a loose, airy style, appropriating application techniques and even poses and settings from his chief competitors, Geoffrey Kneller (1646–1723) the most prominent among them.