2770

Lady Stanley of Alderley, née Mary Katharine Bell 1924

Head and shoulders to the right, in three-quarter profile and looking to the right, wearing a hat and pearl earrings, a fur collar just indicated around her neck

Oil on board, 73 x 52 cm (28 ¾ x 20 ½ in.)

Inscribed lower right: with homage - / P.A. de László / 1924 – april

Sitters’ Book II, opp. f. 40: Maisie Sheffield / April 1924

Private Collection

This is the last known portrait de László painted of Lady Sheffield. He had painted the sitter on three previous occasions: in 1904 [3870], in 1919, dressed in Red Cross uniform [2767], and at an unknown date [2768].

The present painting is reminiscent of the 1911 portrait of Mrs David Beatty, in which the sitter’s pose, the hat, and the rich colour scheme are similar [2421]. Even though the present portrait is only head-and-shoulders, the sitter’s hat evokes the brick red and dark blue used in Mrs Beatty’s portrait.

The personal inscription on the present portrait would suggest that de László painted it as a token of admiration and friendship, marking his closeness to the Stanley family over the years.

For biographical notes on the sitter, see [3870].

CC 2008