Portrait Of Mary Davison, Lady Eden (c.1710-1794) C.1725; Studio Of Michael Dahl (1659-1743)

From the collection of the real-life ‘Monuments Man’, Christopher Norris. As Chief of the British Section of the British Monuments and Fine Arts and Archives in 1946, he enthusiastically engaged in helping to rescue German monuments lying in the rubble and aid their repatriation and also organise the return of collections from repositories scattered over the countryside. These English officers set to work with great vigour, involving wearisome negotiations with English and German officials. These men paid from their own pockets for the chemicals needed for the conservation workshop, which could only be acquired from abroad. This elegant large-scale portrait is a fine example of Michael Dahl’s refined court-style depiction of aristocratic women. The curve of her neck and the elegant turn of the head are features typical of the formula used by Dahl. The portrait can be dated to circa 1725, and has been depicted in fashionably dressed clothing, in a landscape with a rocky outcrop. The shimmering blue azure wrap dramatically flows through the air and off the canvas, providing a sense of movement. Dahl was influenced by Godfrey Kneller but his portraits of woman are distinctly different. It is often remarked that Dahl’s drawing of the heads is better and his style more straightforward producing sophisticated and graceful portraits without the excessive use of props and other distracting elements. The sitter is Mary Davison (c.1710-1794), later Lady Eden - an ancestor of Anthony Eden, British Prime Minister from 1955 to 1957. Mary was the youngest daughter of William Davison of Beamish, County Durham. She married Sir Robert Eden, 3rd Baronet (1718-1755) of Windlestone Hall in 1739 at St. Mary le Bow, Durham. The couple had ten children. The Eden family traces its ancestry to Robert de Eden (d. 1413) but probably lived in the Durham area since the twelfth century. They managed to keep their lands despite joining the Revolt of the Northern Earls in 1569 and being Royalists in the Civil War of the 1640s. The Eden Baronetcy of West Auckland was created in the Baronetage of England on 13 November 1672 for Robert Eden, subsequently Member of Parliament for County Durham. He was the son of a supporter of the Royalist cause in the Civil War. The second and fourth Baronets also represented County Durham in the House of Commons. Grade II listed Windlestone Hall, one of the most architecturally important manors in the North-East of England, was the family seat from the 17th to the 20th centuries. Held in an exquisite gilded antique frame of exceptional 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. 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. 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:

Property of Mr E. Christopher Norris (1907-1987); His sale Christies London 18th March 1988, Lot 164 British art historian E. Christopher Norris lived at Polesden Lacey, Surrey. He was considered to be one of the leading experts on the works of Peter Paul Rubens. After periods living successively in Madrid, Paris and Florence, he studied art in Munich and Göttingen. He made a living by lecturing on Rubens at the Courtauld Institute of Art and advising wealthy art collectors. Meanwhile, he began to accumulate his own collection of quality paintings including a work by Nicolas Poussin, which he donated to the National Gallery in 1944. In 1945, Norris was recommended for service as an art protection officer with the Allied Control Commission. He arrived at headquarters in Berlin as a ‘British Monuments and Fine Arts and Archives’ Officer in 1945. Norris participated in negotiations over repatriation agreements and advocated for the creation of a bi-zonal organization to better aid in restitutions across the American and British Zones. He enthusiastically engaged in helping to rescue German monuments lying in the rubble, and rapidly joined forces with German museum and historical monument protection officials, as soon as these had returned from the war. These English officers set to work with great energy, involving wearisome negotiations with English and German officials. With his help it was also possible to organise the return of collections from repositories scattered over the countryside. These men paid from their own pockets for the chemicals needed for the conservation workshop, which could only be acquired from abroad. In 1946 Norris was made Chief of the British Section of the MFAA. He left Germany in 1950 and returned to London where he died in 1987.