6935

UNFINISHED 

Comte Henry Greffulhe 1908

Half-length slightly to the right, full-face, wearing a dark suit, a white shirt with a wing collar and purple cravat with a jewelled tie pin, both hands raised to his chest, holding the lapels of his jacket

Oil on canvas, 80 x 65 cm (31 ½ x 25 ⅝ in.)

Private Collection

It is not yet known whether the present portrait was commissioned, or whether de László started it in friendship, but it was never completed. It is very likely that the sitter was introduced to de László by his friend Armand, duc de Guiche, later 12th duc de Gramont [11801], whose wife Elaine [8804] was comte Greffulhe’s daughter, whom de László painted twice. In 1909, the artist painted a masterpiece of the sitter’s wife, la comtesse Greffulhe, princesse de Caraman-Chimay [4247]. He also painted some twenty portraits of the de Gramont family over the years, who were amongst his greatest friends.

Henry, third and last comte Greffulhe, was born on 25 December 1848, the son of Charles Greffulhe (1814-1888) and Félicie de la Rochefoucauld d’Estissac (1818-1910). His great-grandfather, Louis Greffulhe, had emigrated to Geneva, and made a fortune in Amsterdam, which he reinvested in France and Britain. The Greffulhe wealth was later invested in the most flourishing sectors of the economy: canals and railways. Following the death of his uncle and, in 1888, of his father, Henry Greffulhe became one of the richest men in Europe. A very handsome man, he seemed to enjoy the company of actresses and the demi-monde until he met the beautiful Elisabeth de Caraman-Chimay, whom he married on 28 September 1878, when he was thirty years old. His bride was soon the uncontested Queen of Parisian society, whose brilliant looks fascinated the greatest men and artists of her age. Together they had a daughter, Elaine (born 1882). Their marriage was a happy one at first, but Henry Greffulhe soon resumed his dissolute life. His official mistress, Mme de la Béraudière, made a public scandal after his death, claiming the inheritance of her lover. His wife Elisabeth, with her great influence, introduced him to politics and he became a Member of Parliament between 1889 and 1893. However, he was never ambitious, his greatest passion in life, besides women, being hunting and shooting. Bois-Boudran, the famous Greffulhe estate in Seine-et-Marne, was famous for its hunting, which attracted French and foreign princes such as the Prince of Wales and the Grand-Duke Wladimir of Russia. Henry had enlarged the property with the help of the fashionable architect Sanson, and a theatre was built to entertain the guests after a day’s shooting.^[1] However, even after The First World War, when most of the European aristocracy had to change their lifestyle, comte Greffulhe did not change his and he gradually drained the family coffers. He died on 31 March 1932.

LITERATURE:

Cossé Brissac, Anne (de), La Comtesse Greffulhe, collection Terres des femmes, Perrin, Paris, 1991

CC 2008