7705

King Edward VII 1907

Half-length, slightly to the left, full-face to the viewer, wearing a dark suit and purple, blue and red tie

Oil on canvas, 89.5 x 69.5 cm (35 ¼ x 27 ⅓ in.)

Inscribed lower right: P.A. László / 1907 VI / WINDSOR CASTLE

Sitters’ Book I, opp. f. 77: Edward R & I. / June 7 / 07.

Private Collection          

“I hope to paint Her Majesty. Then England will be won!”^[1] were de László’s words in 1898, having astutely perceived that royal patronage was crucial to gaining recognition in England. Although the Empress Frederick of Germany had recommended the artist in 1898, to his great disappointment he was not invited to paint her mother Queen Victoria, who felt herself too old and frail to be portrayed by that time. Instead in 1900, the Queen requested that de László paint her favourite General, Sir George White [7724]. The summons came during the artist's honeymoon, which had to be cut short to comply with the request.

Soon after the Queen’s death in January 1901, de László approached his friend Count Albert Mensdorff [4697], second cousin of the new king, with a view to securing a commission to paint King Edward and Queen Alexandra.^[2] Count Mensdorff’s reply was not encouraging: “English artists complained so much that the late Queen preferred foreign painters, that I am afraid their Majesties will not easily be persuaded to sit to a foreigner.”^[3] 

It was not until 1907 that Count Mensdorff, then serving as Austro-Hungarian Ambassador to the Court of St. James’s, was able to use his influence, by arranging for the King and Queen to visit the artist’s exhibition at the Fine Art Society on 7 June, when they signed the artist’s Sitters’ Book. That same afternoon, de László was summoned to Buckingham Palace and painted a study portrait of their daughter Princess Victoria [10303]; and the King commissioned an informal study of himself.

The King was not a patient sitter and de László had to complete the portrait in five hours, a short time even for an artist accustomed, as he was, to paint at great speed. Only three brief sittings were granted to de László, preventing him from attempting anything more than a simple and direct likeness. The King was a conscious leader of fashion and was particular regarding his dress. De László recalled in his memoirs that the King’s overriding concern was the finer details of his clothing: “I painted the King in his ordinary redingote [an overcoat with a large collar], which was the fashion at the time. He also had on one of those large neckties which are usually worn with the redingote, and held together with a pin. When His Majesty noticed that I was painting it he said: ‘I see, László, you are painting my tie. Please notice that it is not a ready-made tie. I arrange it myself, so see that you make that plain in the picture, for no gentleman wears a ready-made tie.’ Later, when he saw that I was painting the coat, he said: ‘I see that you are going to paint my button. Come nearer and you will perceive that it is not an ordinary button, but has a very fine ivory inlaid line.’”^[4] 

In a letter to his friend, the political journalist Sigmund Münz [6377] de László conveyed his impression of the King: “amongst all the Sovereigns I have met [I would call King Edward] the most delightful, and most human Grand Seigneur, and if he was not, himself, artistic in his nature, he appreciated Art and supported it, but first of all his greatest quality was his interest in humanity and his keen political foresight. He was certainly a man who could not be led by any professional politician.” ^[5]

A few weeks after the present portrait was completed the artist was commissioned to paint a pendant portrait of Queen Alexandra [7707]. The King’s pleasure with the portraits was acknowledged in 1909, when he appointed the artist Member of the Royal Victorian Order. De László always declared that this was the honour of which he was most proud. Both pictures were inherited by Princess Victoria and passed, on her death in 1935, to her sister, Queen Maud of Norway. A German newspaper article from autumn 1908 revealed plans for a life-size portrait of the King on the occasion of his birthday that November but the commission was never completed.^[6]

Albert Edward, known as ‘Bertie’ in the Royal family, was born on 9 November 1841, the first son and second child of the nine children of Queen Victoria (1819-1901) and Prince Albert (1819-1861). Educated by three governesses, one English, one German, and one French, his favourite language was German, and despite elocution lessons, he would always speak English with a hint of an accent. He was later instructed by Henry Birch, a former master at Eton, who was later replaced by Frederick Waymouth Gibbs. It was Prince Albert’s intention that his son should develop strong contemporary knowledge, following his own example, but this was a failure as the Prince of Wales did not demonstrate intellectual curiosity. As conventional education was not particularly successful with the young prince, he travelled Europe, which he much enjoyed, before matriculating from Christ Church, Oxford, where for the first time he enjoyed his studies. In 1860, on Prince Albert’s suggestion, he was sent to Canada and the United States, where he proved quite popular and was indeed the first heir to the throne to visit those countries. On his return, he matriculated from Trinity College, Cambridge, which he did not enjoy as much as Oxford. By this time, the Prince of Wales was determined to enter the army and spent the summer of 1861 at the Curragh army camp near Dublin. There, he had an affair with an actress, Nellie Clifden, which caused a sensation in the London press.

His marriage was soon arranged by Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. Although they had reservations about Princess Alexandra of Denmark, Albert Edward did not want a purely dynastic alliance and he was attracted by Alexandra’s great beauty. They married on 10 March 1863 in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor. The couple lived at Marlborough House in Pall Mall and bought and renovated Sandringham House in Norfolk. Excluded from politics by Queen Victoria, the couple were the focus of Society and considerable patrons of the arts. The reclusive Queen much disapproved of their extravagant lifestyle. There were six children of the marriage: Albert Victor (born 1864), George (born 1865, later George V), Louise (born 1867), Victoria (born 1868), Maud (born 1869), and John (born 1871), who lived only two days.

Edward devoted much of his time to social outings, some of them dubious, most of them costly, which was a cause for political concern and his growing unpopularity. He became the first heir to the throne to be compelled to appear as a witness during the infamous Baccarat scandal at Tranby Croft in 1890, see [7032]. The Queen eventually let him represent her in some public duties, including his successful trip in India in 1875-1876. His political inclination was liberal and he was a lifelong friend of Gladstone, though he supported Disraeli’s Near Eastern policy in the 1870s. He was also a freemason, becoming Grand Master of English Freemasons in 1875.

In the 1890s, the prince had liaisons with numerous ladies including Lillie Langtry, Frances Evelyn Maynard Grenville and Lady Brooke. In 1898 he became involved with Sister Agnes Keyser and Alice Keppel, both relationships lasted until the end of his life.

On 22 January 1901, aged fifty-nine, he succeeded to the throne as Edward VII. He was particularly interested in European and foreign affairs and played an important diplomatic role as a peacemaker, instrumental in creating the Anglo-French entente cordiale. He took financial advice from Sir Ernest Cassel [3977], which improved the position of the Royal Household. He was also a supporter of army reform to counter the weaknesses exposed during the South African War. During the last years of his reign he was drawn into a constitutional crisis regarding the “People’s Budget” proposed by Asquith. For the budget to be passed in the House of Lords, King Edward told Asquith he could resort to creating new peers if required, but not until after a second general election. The turmoil was still at its height when, on 9 March 1910, the King collapsed in Biarritz having caught a cold at the theatre in Paris. His illness was not reported and his absence from the debate in London was much criticized. On 27 April, the King returned to Buckingham Palace, but his health further declined and he died 6 May 1910. He was buried in St. George’s Chapel, Windsor, on 20 May.

PROVENANCE:         

Queen Alexandra, Marlborough House;

Princess Victoria, until her death in 1935;

Queen Maud of Norway, her sister

EXHIBITED:         

•The Dowdeswell Galleries, London, An Exhibition of Portraits by Philip A. László, 1908, no. 22  

•Schulte Gallery, Berlin, 1908/09

•M. Knoedler & Co., London, Royal Portraits by Philip A. de László, M.V.O., 27 November-8 December 1934, no. 9   

LITERATURE:        

•Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung, no. 12, 21 March 1909, p. 198

•Schleinitz, Otto (von), Künstler Monographien, no. 106, Ph A. von László, Bielefeld and Leipzig (Velhagen & Klasing), 1913, p. 79, ill. pl. 94

•Williams, Oakley, ed., Selections from The Work of P.A. de László, Foreword by Robert de Montesquiou, Hutchinson, London, 1921, pp. 1-4, ill. as frontispiece

•Münz, Sigmund, Edward VII at Marienbad, Hutchinson, London, 1934, ill. as frontispiece

•Rutter, Owen, Portrait of a Painter, London, 1939, pp. 239-42

•De Laszlo, Sandra, ed., & Christopher Wentworth-Stanley, asst. ed., A Brush with

Grandeur, Paul Holberton publishing, London 2004, p. 36, fig. 27

•Hart-Davis, Duff, in collaboration with Caroline Corbeau-Parsons, De László: His Life and Art, Yale University Press, 2010, p. 98-99, 109, 115, ill. 59

•Hart-Davis, Duff, László Fülöp élete és festészete [Philip de László's Life and Painting], Corvina, Budapest, 2019, ill. 79

•Field, Katherine ed., Transcribed by Susan de Laszlo, The Diaries of Lucy de László Volume I: (1890-1913), de Laszlo Archive Trust, 2019, p. 103, ill. pp. 113, 119, 127, 176

•Field, Katherine ed., Gábor Bellák and Beáta Somfalvi, Philip de László (1869-1937); "I am an Artist of the World", Magyar Nemzeti Galéria, 2019, p. 68

•DLA162-0502, Pesti Hírlap, 30 June 1907, p. 11

•László, Lucy de, 1902-1911 diary, 21 June 1907 entry, p. 121. 10 January 1908 entry, p. 34

•DLA091-0138, German newspaper article [presumably autumn 1908]

•DLA162-0239, Pesti Hírlap, 14 November 1908, p. 12

•DLA016-0032, letter from de László to Münz, 27 December 1928

•DLA162-0460, Pesti Hírlap, 27 November 1934, p. 8

CC 2008