Portrait of the Hon. Lady Lucy Sherard, Later Lucy Manners, Duchess of Rutland C.1705; Circle of Michael Dahl (1659-1743), Oil on Canvas

This remarkable work superbly captures the beauty for which the sitter was renowned. The subject has been depicted in a gold silk dress with a simple white chemise, and a sumptuous azure drapery that falls from behind her head and encapsulating her body. Much of the attractiveness of this elegant portrait resides in the graceful composition and the beauty of the youthful sitter. No distracting props, jewellery, or background were needed - the artist knew that beauty of the sitter was more than sufficient to fully ensnare the captivate the viewer. This portrait is, ultimately, an expression of female beauty and elegance.

The sitter is Lucy Manners, Duchess of Rutland. Born Lucy Sherard, around 1685, she was the heiress of her father, Bennet Sherard, 2nd Baron Sherard, an MP for Leicestershire who served as Lord Lieutenant of Rutland. Her mother was the daughter and co-heiress of Sir Robert Christopher of Alford. In 1713 she married John Manners, 2nd Duke of Rutland, who was the son of John Manners, 1st Duke of Rutland and his third wife Catherine Wriothesley Noel. The Duke was widowed from Catherine Russell (daughter of William Russell, Lord Russell, and Lady Rachel Wriothesley), with whom he had nine children, including John Manners, 3rd Duke of Rutland.

She and John Manners had eight children. Her husband died on 22 February 1721 and she lived another thirty years before her death on 27 October 1751.

This portrait is typical of the formula used by Dahl, a Swedish portraitist working in England from 1689, for head-and-shoulder images of women. The sitter is presented against a plain background with strong lighting casting a prominent shadow to one side. The curve of her neck, as well as the elegant turn of her head, are elements often employed by the artist to produce an arresting and expressive image. The portrait is datable to circa 1705, before the sitter’s marriage; this was a time when Dahl had a broad range of patrons including members of the royal family, the nobility and prominent court office-holders, as well as London professionals and gentry families.

The adeptness and painterly virtuosity are clearly displayed. Presented in a good period gilded frame.

Michael Dahl (1659-1743) was born in Stockholm and was a painter of exceptional talent. He studied with David Ehrenstrahl, the leading Swedish portrait painter of his day, before embarking on a tour of Europe in 1682 that included London, Paris, and Rome. He first visited London and it is thought that he spent some time in Kneller's studio which was an influence on his work. Dahl’s female portraits are distinctly different with better drawing for the heads and a more elegant and straightforward portrait without the excessive use of props and other distracting elements that is often seen in the work of Sir Godfrey Kneller.

In 1698 Dahl he was offered the position of painter to the court of the Swedish King, Charles XII, but preferred to stay and settle permanently in London. Several of Dahl’s compatriots saw England as being relatively stable and prosperous compared to many European countries, and more welcoming than France, for example, of the Lutheran faith then prevalent in Sweden. There, he established an independent studio and by 1700 became the most successful painter in England, second only to Godfrey Kneller. His Scandinavian origins ensured patronage from Prince George of Denmark, and Queen Anne and members of the English court and he worked for the Duke of Somerset painting the Petworth 'Beauties' in the late 1690s. in 1712 he charged £50 for a full length. He died in London in 1743 leaving two daughters (his only son, also a painter, died about three years earlier).

Measurements: Height 86cm, Width 74cm framed (Height 33.75”, Width 29” framed)

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