111112

Friederike Marie Preetorius 1896

Head and shoulders, wearing a black dress and a white chiffon scarf with a white or pink flower at the neck-line, dark curly hair tied up in a bunch on top of her head, against a blue background with orange stripes

Oil on canvas, 53 x 43 cm (20 ⅞ x 17 in.)

Inscribed upper right: FRIEDA

Inscribed lower left: SOUVENIER AMICAL [sic] / MAINZ / 1896 / László F.

Private Collection

While de László stayed at the Preetorius’s house in Mainz in 1896 he painted two portraits of the 12-year old Friedel. The bright colour and stripes in the background are unusual in de László’s oeuvre, but were also used by the artist in the double portrait of Erzsébet and Stefanie Mailáth [13008] the same year.

It seems Friederike’s family nickname was ‘Friedel’, but judging by de László’s inscription on the painting, he called her ‘Frieda’, and as suggested by the inscription, would most likely have given her this portrait.

Here, the girl’s unusual coiffure and period outfit of c. 1820-1830 would indicate that de László already enjoyed painting his friends in costumes. This became particularly manifest in the 1910s, when he painted his sons and closest friend Baldry in 17th-century Spanish attire.

For biographical notes on the sitter, see [111113].

LITERATURE:        

•NSzL150-0037, letter from de László to Lippich, 22 October 1896, Mainz

•NSzL150-0038, letter from de László to Lippich, 28 October 1986, Mainz

•NSzL150-0039, letter from de László to Lippich, 18 November 1896, Mainz

AG 2008