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General Artúr Görgei 1901

Head and shoulders slightly to the right, head turned towards the viewer, wearing a dark jacket, white shirt and dark tie

Oil on canvas, 65 x 49.5 cm (25 ½ x 19 ½ in.)

Inscribed lower right: László F.E. / 1901

Sitters' Book I, f. 50: Görgei Arthur / Budapest, 1901 február 17, vasárnap [Sunday]

Private Collection

This is one of six portraits of General Görgei painted or drawn by de László in the early months of 1901. For the circumstances in which the six portraits were painted, and for biographical notes on the sitter, see [5367].

This portrait appears to have been given by de László to his friend and mentor Elek Lippich, Secretary of the Department of Fine Arts in the Ministry of Education. The General's niece, Lenke Návay, wrote to de László in an undated letter: "I hear that Lippich is boasting that he got a Görgei portrait from you - perhaps it is a sketch? - but it is so good and so valuable that you must on no account give it away - it is altogether a great pity that he should be able to show off with it ."^[1] 

In the early years of the 20th century de László and Lippich were still close friends, however, they later became estranged. The early provenance of the five other portraits of General Görgei is known, so it seems most likely that Lenke Návay is referring to the present portrait in her letter.

PROVENANCE:

Postatakarékpénztár [Post Office Savings Bank] Auction, Budapest,1939, lot 339;

Sold at Nagyházi Gallery and Auction House, Budapest, 10 December 2013, lot 152

LITERATURE:

•Koréh, Ferenc, Különjelentés Görgei Arthurról, In: Koréh Ferenc Beszél New Yorkból (Ferenc Koréh Broadcasting from New York), Viza Kft., Veszprém, 2001, pp. 81-3

•DLA068-0161 and 0162, letter from Lenke Návay to de László, undated

•NSzL150-0141, letter from  de László to Lenke Návay, 30 April 1905

 Pd'O 2012