7229

Miklós Szabó de Nárai 1894
Seated three-quarter length to the left, full face, wearing black díszmagyar, the ceremonial dress of a Hungarian nobleman, with decorations and the ribbon of St Stephen across his chest, holding his sword in his left hand on his lap, his right hand resting on the arm of the chair
Oil on canvas, 104.2 x 83.1 cm (41 x 32 ⅞ in.)
Inscribed lower right: LÁSZLÓ F. / 1894

Private Collection

The sitter was the father of Sándor Náray-Szabó [111289], a close friend of the artist. In his reminiscences, de László recalled the sitter with great affection: “He sat for me in his own flat, which had an atmosphere of its own. He was a fine example of an old Hungarian who had not been touched by modernity - the real Latin Hungarian^[1] of the early eighteenth century, full of chivalry and self-respect, fearing only God and the King. He was dignified, sensible and proud. I painted him in black Hungarian national dress, one hand resting on his sword, the other holding his richly decorated cap, and the noble ribbon of St Stephen across his breast. He was nearly seventy, with a well-groomed white mustache [sic]. I respected and loved him. He lived for many years afterwards in absolute seclusion as a widower, with a practical old housekeeper. His life was Spartan, without any outward show of his position. He was resolute and honourable, and on entering his home one felt one had gone back two hundred years. He had some fine old-fashioned chairs, one of which he gave me for my studio.”^[2] 

Miklós Szabó de Nárai was born in Nárai in the county of Vas (Western Hungary) on 10 November 1821, the son of Sándor de Szabό (1794-1871) and his wife Johanna, née Eörsy de Kővágóörs. In 1842, after qualifying as a lawyer, he established a legal practice in Szombathely. He became an official of the Chancellery, to which he was Secretary to the Chancellery 1845-1848. In 1848 he was an official under Prince Pál Esterházy (Minister a latere to the Crown). During the 1848-49 War of Independence he served as a major under the distinguished general Mór Perczel. When the Hungarian army was defeated, with Russian assistance, he was sentenced at Arad to twelve years of imprisonment.^[3] After his release he returned to his legal practice in the country. The Dual Monarchy was established in 1867 and he was elected a Member of Parliament. He served as Undersecretary in the Ministry of Justice and took an active part in drafting new legislation. Between 1871 and 1888 he was President of the High Court of Justice in Budapest, and from 1888 to 1906 he was President of the Kúria, the Supreme Court. He was a member of the House of Magnates from 1871 until his death.

Though he was entitled to the noble title of de Nárai, he did not use it, known in Hungary simply as Miklós Szabó. He married Angélika Perczel de Bonyhád (1837-1865) and the couple had two sons and a daughter. Their sons, Sándor and Jenő, married Ilona and Margit, daughters of Doctor Zsigmond László, who was painted by de László in 1896 [13399]. Sándor was painted by de László in 1896 [111289], and the portrait is untraced. The sitter died in Budapest 28 November 1907.

Two preparatory drawings [111765] [113000] for the present portrait are held in the Department of Prints and Drawings (Grafikai Osztály) at the Hungarian National Gallery (Magyar Nemzeti Galéria), Budapest.

PROVENANCE:
Sándor Náray-Szabó
Iparművészeti múzeum (Museum of Applied Arts), Budapest
Presented to the Nemzeti Múzeum, Történelmi képcsarnok (National Museum, Historical Gallery) in 1964 (Inventory no. 64.6, slide no. 11326)

Thought to have been returned to the sitter’s descendants

EXHIBITED:
•Műcsarnok, Budapest, Hungarian Fine Art Society, 1896, Téli kiállítás [Winter Exhibition], no. 817 (property of Sándor Szabó)
•Műcsarnok, Budapest, Hungarian Fine Art Society, Spring Exhibition and Retrospectives of Philip de László, Mihály Munkácsy, János Pentelei Molnár, Samu Petz and László Hűvös, 4 May – 30 June 1925 [Műcsarnok, Országos Magyar Képzőművészeti Társulat, Budapest, Tavaszi kiállítás és László Fülöp, Munkácsy Mihály, Pentelei Molnár János, valamit Petz Samu és Hűvös László összegyűjtött műveinek kiállítása, 1925. május 4 – június 30.], no. 18

LITERATURE:
•Vasárnapi Újság Vol.54, no. 49, 8 December 1907
•Rutter, Owen, Portrait of a Painter, Hodder and Stoughton, London, 1939, pp. 151-152

•DLA162-0323, Pesti Hírlap, 20 April 1894, p. 17
•DLA029-0031, letter from Zsigmond László to de László, 3 November 1896



Pd’O 2017