Charles D’Agar (1699-1723)

Portrait of a young boy, full-length, standing in a landscape, wearing a red coat with silver buttons, a silver waistcoat and breeches, white silk stockings and black buckled shoes with red heels and inner trim. The boy, facing forward, gestures towards a pet spaniel who sits patiently beside him, with his ears perked up to attention, and eyes fixed on his young master. Oil on canvas in a giltwood frame, circa 1720.

Charles D’Agar (1669-1723) was born in Paris and was the the son of French portrait painter Jacques D’Agar. After the family settled in London in 1681, Charles was apprenticed to the painter Robert Robinson and shortly after travelled to Copenhagen with his father where he stayed for six years. His father stayed on as the Danish Court painter but Charles returned to London in 1691 where he established a successful portrait practice.

He was known for his sensitive portrayal of his sitters and his style is often compared to that of Michael Dahl, particularly in his choice of colour for the sitters clothes, as seen in this portrait with the boy's striking red jacket and silver waistcoat and breeches. He also shows a fondness for creating an appealing vista as a background setting, as seen here with the trees and lake of a country estate in the far distance. Similarities in this work can be drawn with the portrait of Lord George Douglas in the Buccleuch collection at Drumlanrig Castle, Dumfriesshire and also with his portrait of the Duchess of Montague, which shows her seated beside her pet spaniel.