Portrait of Lady Catherine Stanhope Clarke (1675-1728) C.1700; by Michael Dahl (1659-1743)

This elegant and graceful portrait was painted by Michael Dahl, whom by 1700 became the most successful painter in England - second only to Godfrey Kneller – and at his best, as evident in this portrait, was capable of outperforming Kneller, Richardson, and Seeman. The present work is amongst Dahl’s finest representations of aristocratic women. Presented in a good carved and gilded antique frame.

The portrait is said to represent Lady Catherine Stanhope Clarke (1675-1728), who was a daughter of Philip Stanhope, 2nd Earl of Chesterfield (1634-1714) and his third wife Elizabeth Dormer, Countess of Chesterfield (d. 1677). Her father had been one of the many lovers of Barbara Villiers, the most notorious mistress of King Charles II. He was imprisoned in the Tower of London for wounding Captain John Whalley in a duel and on suspicion of involvement in Sir George Booth's rising (1659). He also killed Francis Wolley in a duel and fled to Holland.

Lady Catherine married Godfrey Clarke, of Chilcot, Derbyshire (c.1684-1734), an English landowner and politician who sat in the House of Commons. The couple are thought to have had one child during their marriage. Lady Catherine died on 23 December 1728 in England at the age of 53, and was buried in Brampton, Derbyshire.

The portrait genre was valued particularly highly in English society. Neither landscapes nor allegorical pictures were ever priced so highly at exhibitions and in the trade as depictions of people, from the highest aristocracy to scholars, writers, poets and statesmen. This portrait can be dated to circa 1700 and the occasion for commissioning the picture may have been a birthday or engagement. The curve of the neck and the elegant turn of the head are features typical of the formula used by Dahl. The type of informal setting with its romantic appearance was taking shape in this period as an alternative to the French Baroque regular park. The pattern for this portrait was one that the artist often used when he discovered it to be successful - a common practise amongst studios at the time.

The landscape setting suggested informality and simplicity. 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, 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. A number 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).

Provenance: Private UK collection

Measurements: Height 139cm, Width 116cm framed (Height 54.75”, Width 45.7

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