Portrait Of A Lady In A White Dress & Blue Coat, Frances Lady Berkeley C.1695; Michael Dahl

This elegant and graceful portrait was painted by Michael Dahl, whom by 1700 became the most successful painter in England, and was capable of outperforming Kneller, Richardson, and Seeman. The sitter is a descendant from the ancient Temple family, who derived from the Saxon earls of Mercia; they take their name from residence in one of the houses of the Knights Templers. The work is a sublime example – in quality but also in its excellent state of preservation - of portraiture in England at the end of the seventeenth century.

The subject is Frances, Lady Berkeley of Stratton, who was a daughter of Sir John Temple (1632-1705) and Jane Yarner (died 1708). Her father was an influential Irish lawyer, politician, and Attorney General for Ireland. Born circa 1673, Lady Temple became known as Lady Berkeley of Stratton when she married William Berkeley, 4th Baron Berkeley of Stratton – he was the brother and heir of John Berkeley, 3rd Baron Berkeley of Stratton (the first husband of her sister, Jane Temple).

The couple had four daughters and three sons, including Frances, who married William Byron. Lady Frances was a great great grandmother of the poet Lord Byron and another descendant was the statesman Henry John Temple, 3rd Viscount Palmerston.

Lady Berkeley died from complications relating to childbirth in July 1707 and was buried at St. Mary's Church in Twickenham, London. Lord Berkeley remained a widower until his death at Bruton, Somerset, in March 1741. He was succeeded by his eldest son, John.

The artist’s bravura handling of paint is evident, notably in the lively highlights on the dress and the crisp white sheer fabrics – painted with a certain spontaneity and confidence.

Dahl is known to have painted this sitter at least twice as another (inscribed) portrait of the sitter was in the collection of the 1st Viscount Palmerston (Henry Temple, c. 1673–1757) at East Sheen, Surrey - known by a photograph taken in 1959 (see photo) when in the collection of Viscount Palmerston’s descendant at Broadland, Lady Louise Mountbatten. Broadlands was the honeymoon location for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, and later for Prince Charles and Diana, Princess of Wales.

This very fine work is a good example of aristocratic portraiture in England and is presented in a good carved and gilded antique 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. 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: Collection of Captain Oswald Leopold Paget (1898-1955), London, by 1951. Captain Paget was a son of Miss Ina Fitzgerald (granddaughter of the 4th Duke of Leinster) and a descendant of Sir William Paget, who was made Lord Paget of Beaudesert in 1549

Measurements: Height 93cm, Width 79cm framed (Height 36.5”, Width 31” framed)