John Weesop

These include figures such as Elizabeth Murray, Countess of Dysart and later Duchess of Lauderdale, Marmaduke D'Arcy and the members or allies of the Villiers family.

Another painting recorded in 1730 was of Anne Villiers, Countess of Sussex, daughter of Buckingham's younger brother, the Earl of Anglesey.

On the basis of these four works Sir Oliver Millar identified a small group of other portraits by the same artist which he believed to be 'palpably by one hand'.

[2][3] In the Portrait of Esmé Stuart he shows his qualities as a colourist in the golden amber of the sitter's coat and the red evening light which suffuses the picture.

[2] Sir Oliver Millar concluded that Weesop could for a brief period have presented something of a challenge to other portrait painters such as Peter Lely, John Hayls and Gerard Soest as is shown by his influential patronage.