Meliora Gomeldon was born in Buckinghamshire in 1674, the third of five children of Thomas Gomeldon and Phalatias Drax. Her Mother`s parents were Sir James and Dame Margaret Drax of Kensington, London. She married firstly James Poole in 1704, who died in 1706 and secondly in 1710 Thomas Stanley of Lancashire by whom she had two children, Richard and Meliora Stanley.  She died in June 1749 and was buried in Winwick in Lancashire.

John Van Der Vaart was born in Haarlem in The Netherlands in 1653. He is believed to have been a pupil of Thomas Wyck. He moved to London in 1674, painting still-lifes, landscapes and draperies. He became an assisstant and collaborator of Willian Wissing in the 1680's and their names appear together on several paintings and engravings after paintings such as the portrait of 'Frances Theresa Stuart, Duchess of Richmond and Lennox (1687, London NPG). On Wissing`s death in 1687 he started  a portrait practice on his own, with several commissions from the Shirley family. According to Marshall Smith, he 'paints a Face and Posture very well, Landskip, Foul &c. extraordinary fine and is to be rank'd among the great Masters of the Age.' He later collaborated with Johann Kerseboom on works such as 'Thomas Osborne, 1st Duke of Leeds' (1704, London NPG) and later as his eye sight failed also became a mezzotint engraver working with R. Thompson and E. Cooper.  He is said to have taught the engraver John Smith. He died in London in 1727 aged 74. His work can be seen in the National Portrait Gallery, London and Burghley House near Stamford, Lincolnshire.