After the triple portrait of Charles I by Anthony Van Dyck in the Royal Collection, sent by Charles I to Gian Lorenzo Bernini in Rome to assist him in making a marble bust, which was later destroyed in the Whitehall Palace fire of 1698. The primary version of the triple portrait is in the Royal Collection; numerous copies are in existence. The miniature is a faithfully rendered copy, although unfinished passages in the costume (the Garter ribbons and star), and partial fading, result in an uneven appearance. There is also much evidence of the use of pencil underdrawing, particularly in the lace collars and the hair of the likeness on the right, which may lend weight to the old attribution to Richard Cosway.

Although there are no known similar historical copies within Cosway's oeuvre, Dr Stephen Lloyd has highlighted Cosway's fascination with Charles I, as demonstrated by the evidence of the inventory of the contents of his residence at 20 Stratford Place, London which included two portraits of Charles I. In addition, the elaborate Regency frame of this miniature is similar to those surrounding the enamels of mythological subjects by Henry Bone which were painted for George IV when Prince of Wales and hung at Carlton House, and suggests a similar provenance for it. Cosway's links to the Royal Collection would not have given him access to Van Dyck's triple portrait, however, as it was not acquired by George IV until 1822, the year after Cosway's death. It was co-owned between 1802 and 1804 by the dealer Arthur Champernowne (1767 – 1819). As an avid collector himself, Cosway may well have numbered Champernowne amongst his acquaintance at this period, and Champernowne could have been the 'Mr. Champanon' who sat to Cosway for a miniature some years later, in 1808.