Circle of Sir Anthony van Dyck (Antwerp 1599-1641 London)

Portrait of Margaret Lemon (c. 1614-1645), half-length, in a grey silk dress and a white pearl necklace, with roses and other flowers in her hair

Details

Circle of Sir Anthony van Dyck (Antwerp 1599-1641 London)
Portrait of Margaret Lemon (c. 1614-1645), half-length, in a grey silk dress and a white pearl necklace, with roses and other flowers in her hair
oil on canvas
30 1/8 x 24 7/8 in. (76.5 x 63.2 cm.)

Provenance

(Probably) Gell family, Hopton Hall, Derbyshire, and by descent at Hopton to,
Philip Gell (1775-1842), and by descent to his daughter,
Isabella, wife of William Pole Thornhill, until 1863, when Hopton was inherited, under the terms of her father's will, by,
Henry Chandos-Pole-Gell (1829-1902), Radburne Hall, Derby, and by descent to his grandson,
Lt. Col. John Chandos-Pole (1909-1993) , Newnham Hall, Daventry, and by descent to the present owner.

Lot Essay

The sitter in this portrait, Margaret Lemon, has long been thought to be van Dyck's mistress. Described by Wenceslaus Hollar as a dangerous woman, given to peaks of tremendous jealousy (see J. Urzidill, Wenceslaus Hollar. A Czech Emigre in England, London, 1942, p. 47), she sat to van Dyck on more than one occasion. This composition relates to the picture in a private collection (see S. Barnes, N. de Poorter, O. Millar, H. Vey, Van Dyck. A Complete Catalogue of the Paintings, 2002, p. 551, IV.156), which is most likely cut from a larger canvas. In a version at Longleat, the composition is extended to the left to include her left hand, as in the present lot, in which she holds a sword.

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