Sold....portrait of Mary, Duchess of Ormonde C.1695, by Michael Dahl

Oil on canvas in well carved giltwood frame, inscribed upper left 'Dutchess of Ormond' (note 18th c. spelling).

LADY MARY SOMERSET, DUCHESS OF ORMONDE (1665 - 1733) was the daughter of Sir Henry Somerset, 1st Duke of Beaufort, and Mary Capel. She became the second wife of James Butler, Duke of Ormonde, on the 3rd of August 1685.

The poet Dryden dedicated a shamelessly flattering poem to her in the preface of his translation of Chaucer's 'Knights' Tale'.

When her husband was exiled Mary lived at Ormonde House, Chelsea from 1720 until her death in 1733.

The Ormondes had two children; Elizabeth, who died unmarried in April 1750 and Mary, who married the 1st Earl of Ashburnham in October 1710.

James Butler, 2nd Duke of Ormonde (April 29, 1665 - November 16, 1745), Irish statesman and soldier, was born in Dublin and was educated in France and afterwards at Christ Church, Oxford.

He was a gallant cavalry commander in his youth and rose to become Captain-General of the Army and Viceroy of Ireland.

However, in 1715 he became involved in the Jacobite Rebellion and had to flee to Spain. His immense estates were confiscated by the Crown.

Towards the end of his life he resided much at Avignon, refusing all attempts at reconciliation with the Hanoverian monarchy. Ormonde died on 16 November 1745, and was buried in Westminster Abbey.

The Duke was one of the great figures of his time; handsome, dignified, magnanimous and open-handed, he enjoyed great popularity.

MICHAEL DAHL (1659-1743) was born in Stockholm; after studying in Paris, Rome and Frankfurt he settled in London in 1689. He soon became the best patronised portrait painter in England after Kneller. He was much employed at the Court painting many portraits; a great patron of the 1690s was the Duke of Somerset, for whom he painted the series of portraits of Court ladies known as the 'Petworth Beauties'. Dahl was a favourite of the Duke of Ormonde and painted for him several times.

His style is extremely close to Kneller but his interpretation of character is less brash and more human. He has a quieter but somehow more understanding appeal to character which relies on its own integrity to make its impact; his works are of a real distinction.

This painting is typical of Dahl's sensitive portraiture and is of considerable charm.

SIZE: 37.5 x 32.5 inches inc. frame

Interestingly, the intensity of the green of the Duchess's robe changes according to the lighting...ranging from the strong green seen in these images to a darker brown-green.

PROVENANCE: for many years in a Somerset Private Collection