Michael Dahl

three quarter length, standing wearing a red coat and holding a telescope, his flagship and a corvette beyond

Anonymous sale, Christie's London, 4th December 1953, lot 54

R. Charlton-Jones et.al., The British Portrait 1660-1860, 1991, p.121, plate 112 

ENGRAVED:
By J. Faber in 1722

STRUCTURE The canvas has been lined PAINT STRUCTURE The picture appears to be in very good condition. ULTRAVIOLET Ultraviolet light reveals no re-touching. There has been a very small repair made to the canvas, approximately two inches in lengh, to the centre left of the picture. FRAME Held in a rare gilded Bolognese Baroque frame.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

The sitter was the second son of the Presbyterian minister William Wishart (1621-1692), and his wife, Christian Burne. Born in Scotland he emigrated to the Netherlands when a young man and commenced his career at sea in the service of the Dutch navy, returning to Britain only in 1688 when he accompanied William of Orange's invasion force during the Glorious Revolution. On 4 July 1689, as reward for his services to the house of Orange Nassau, Wishart was commissioned into the Royal Navy with command of the Pearl. His subsequent career was clearly prestigious as promotion soon followed with the command of several ships, most notably the Oxford, on board which he fought in the battle of Barfleur, the decisive naval action in the War of the Grand Alliance.

In 1695 Wishart was appointed flag captain to Sir George Rooke, with whom he served again in 1702 at the battle of Vigo, as commander of the Eagle, when the British fleet destroyed a combined armada of French warships and Spanish treasure galleons. By February 1704, under Rooke's influence, Wishart was awarded his flag and promoted Rear-Admiral, following a protracted dispute with the Lord High Admiral, Prince George of Denmark, and in 1709 Admiral of the Blue. In 1710 he joined the Admiralty Commission and in 1711 his Dutch experience made him a natural choice as special commissioner to the Netherlands, in which capacity, amongst other things, he put forward a secret plan to attack the French East Indies trade.

Between 1711 and 1715 Wishart served as Tory M.P. for Portsmouth, was promoted Admiral of the white on 8^th December 1713, and commanded the Mediterranean Fleet in 1714-1715.  Towards the end of his life Wishart's Tory politics and Scottish birth led to lingering suspicions of Jacobitism, which negated any chances of promotion under George I and he retired to his estates at Bedale in Yorkshire.

Dahl painted Wishart twice during his life. The second of these portraits hangs in the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich and depicts the Admiral in later life. The present portrait, painted earlier in his career, captures Wishart in his prime and, considering the quiet grandeur of the composition and the sitter's apparent age, was quite possibly commissioned to commemorate his promotion to Rear-Admiral in 1704.