Portrait of Lady Margaret Aubrey Nee Lowther C.1682-1692; by Michael Dahl (1656-1743), Antique Oil on Canvas Painting

This elegant and graceful portrait was painted by Michael Dahl, whom by 1700 was the most successful painter in England - second only to Godfrey Kneller but was capable of outperforming Kneller, Richardson, and Seeman. The portrait depicts Lady Margaret Lowther, a member of an ancient Westmoreland family who can trace their roots over 700 years, and it is amongst Dahl’s finest representations of aristocratic women.

Born Lady Lowther on 27th April 1658 (baptised 12th May 1658) at Lowther, Westmoreland, Cumbria, England, she was the youngest daughter of Sir John Lowther, 1st Baronet, of Lowther (1605-1676), who was the heir of an ancient family.

Lady Lowther married Sir John Aubrey, 2nd Baronet of Llantrithyd (c.1650-1700) on 1st March 1679. Aubrey was the only surviving son of Sir John Aubrey, 1st Baronet, and his wife Mary South - he succeeded as baronet that same year and inherited the family seat of Llantrithyd where the couple lived. Sir John and Lady Margaret often entertained and supported their cousin, the antiquarian and biographer, Sir John Aubrey (1626-1697) who eventually lost estate after estate due to lawsuits including his ancestral home, Easton Piers. From Llantrithyd Aubrey wrote on 29 October 1695, ‘I am extremely caressed here by my noble Chief Sir JA where I am treated with all the varieties that the sea and land afford . . . In the afternoon we shove the Tankard and Bottle one to another in the bond of peace’.

Sir John and Lady Margaret had one son, John Aubrey (1680-1743), and he succeeded as the 3rd Baronet. Lady Margaret died sometime between 1690 and 1692 and by 1692 Sir John had married Mary Jephson (1653-1717), the daughter and heiress of William Lewis of The Van (Glamorgan) and owner of substantial estates at Brill, Boarstall and Piddington. Sir John died in 1700 following a riding accident. Although Mary survived her husband by many years, and married twice more, she had no children by any of her four marriages, and she bequeathed the Buckinghamshire estate to the 3rd Baronet.

Beautifully and meticulously rendered throughout, the sitter has been depicted seated in an outdoor setting and a peaceful sky suggesting informality. Much of the attractiveness of this portrait resides in the graceful pose and the beauty of the youthful sitter. Distracting jewellery or other props have not been used thereby creating an image of understated elegance. The portrait can be dated to between 1682 and 1692 based on the sitter’s attire and hairstyle, her age of 24 to 34 years, and the dates when Dahl was working in England at the time (1682 to 1685 and 1689 to 1695). The work may have been painted to mark the occasion of her husband being made High Sheriff of Glamorganshire in 1685 (whether a pendant is extant is unknown).

Indistinct text bottom right: “Margaret L??the? Wife of Sir”.

This work is an outstanding example. Held in an exquisite carved and gilded antique frame of good quality and condition.

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, and embarked on a tour of Europe in 1682 that included London, Paris and Rome. He first visited London and it is thought that he spent time in Kneller's studio. Dahl’s female portraits are distinctly different with better drawing for the heads and a more elegant portrait without the excessive use of props that Kneller often used.

In 1698, 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 where he established a very successful studio, and by 1700 was the most successful painter in England, second only to Godfrey Kneller...

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