Sir Theodore Turquet de Mayerne was a celebrated French physician who arrived in England in 1606 and was appointed Physician to Queen Anne of Denmark and in 1611 to James I. He later became Physician to Charles I and Queen Henrietta Maria.

This picture was formerly thought to be a copy after a portrait by Rubens, who met and painted the sitter during his visit to England in 1629-30. However the Royal Collection picture does not appear to be connected with the Rubens portrait and instead it is now believed to be a contemporary copy of another portrait. It has been suggested that the original was by Lely. The painting of the flesh around the eyes and the placing of the figure against the dark background in the Royal Collection portrait are characteristics of Lely's work. The portrait is very close to the enamel attributed to Jean Petitot (National Portrait Gallery) and the version at Ham House. Another oil portrait in a private collection is even closer to the Petitot enamel. It seems most likely that Petitot and the artists working in oil were looking at an original which has yet to be found.