1646 - went to Amsterdam to study under Rembrandt. 1672 - went to Rome to study with Bernini and Carlo Maratta. 1676 - moved to London. 1684 - sent by Charles II to paint Louis XIV in France. 1688–1702 - principle court painter to William and Mary. 1692 - knighted. 1700 - made a knight of the Holy Roman empire by Emperor Leopold. 1709 - built a villa at Whitton, Middlesex. 1715 - created a baronet by George I.