Baldwin Hamey, Junior (1600–1676) was a successful and charitable physician. He inherited a lot of money, and because he had no family, could invest in a lucrative practice and donate generously. He was a member of the Church of England and a devoted royalist, and supported Charles II financially during his exile. He was a benefactor to many poor scholars and assisted with the repair of many churches. He was a fellow of the Royal College of Physicians, and after the RCP was destroyed in the Great Fire of London in 1666, Hamey contributed liberally to the rebuilding fund. The fine Spanish oak wainscoting that he funded is still at the RCP today.

The portrait was painted in 1674 by Matthew Snelling. The marble busts depicted on the table are Hippocrates, the ancient Greek physician regarded as the father of western medicine, and Aristophanes, a playwright from ancient Athens.