112171

UNTRACED

Koronghy Lippich Elek 1895

Half-length, three-quarter profile to the right, wearing a dark suit and a white shirt, his coat of arms in the upper right corner

Oil [support and dimensions unknown]

Inscribed lower left: LÁSZLÓ F.E. / 1895

Sitters’ Book I, f. 13: Lippich Elek [on a page inscribed by the artist: Budapest. 1899. / május 8./ and: Gr. Szapáry Gyula / Bubics Zsigmond / Fraknói Vilmos / Lippich Elek / Hajnal Márton^[1]. They appear to have signed the book together, probably on a visit to the artist’s studio]

Elek Lippich, a senior civil servant in the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs, had a decisive influence on de László’s early career. They probably first met in the autumn of 1890, when de László went to Paris to study at the Académie Julian. Lippich had arranged a letter of introduction for him from Count Albin Csáky, Minister of Religion and Education, to Mihály Munkácsy, Hungary’s most eminent painter, and de Lászlό wrote to thank him. Although the gap between their ages was only seven years, Lippich soon formed a strong fatherly attachment to de László. His recognition of de László’s talent was crucial to his success and he acted as a mentor and secured official government commissions for him. This portrait was probably a gift in recognition of this. In 1902 Lippich asked the artist to make a drawing of him to be used as a frontispiece to a volume of his poetry [111102]. He also painted his wife, née Margit Sziklay, in 1894 [111099].  

The first commission the sitter secured for de László was in 1894 for a portrait of Dezső Szilágyi, Minister of Justice [13102] in Szolnok, where Lippich’s uncle was the Lord Lieutenant of the County. This was seen by Prime Minister Sándor Wekerle [111392] who invited de László to his country estate in Dános to paint his portrait. De László received his first royal commission the same year, also through the agency of Lippich, to paint the portraits of Prince Ferdinand of Bulgaria [3937], his consort Princess Maria Luisa of Bourbon-Parma [3715] and their son Prince Boris [3712] [3934] at Euxinograd, the royal summer residence on the Black Sea, and their palace in Sofia.

Lippich had a difficult personality and was prone to jealousy, exemplified by his letters to de László while he was in Bulgaria. His advice vacillates, at one moment writing: “Constantinople is near; you should go there; I repeat, do not come home.”^[2] His next letter urges his return: “I think the meaning of your four pages of cat-scratches is that your life’s cup is full of cream. Splash about in your glory! My advice is: if you agree, having finished your work you should hurry home.”^[3] But in the end he urges him to travel to Constantinople to paint studies of Turkish figures [110635], as the fight against the Ottoman Empire was a recurring theme in Hungarian history painting: “I object to your coming home prematurely at this time. I have found a subject for you, and if you are willing to do it then you must stay abroad whatever the circumstances; you have to visit Constantinople and make thorough preparatory studies.”^[4]

Lippich hoped de László would paint a large-scale history picture filled with figures and dramatic action. De László was more interested in creating a composition containing only a few figures which would give him the opportunity to depict heightened emotions. He travelled to the Adriatic and the shores of the North Sea, where he made a few sketches for a planned picture of the exiled Ferenc II Rákóczi, the great Hungarian hero and leader of the uprising against the Habsburgs 1703-11 [112621], which he never completed. In 1895 he also received a government commission, through the agency of Lippich, to make a copy of the famous portrait of Rákóczi by Ádám Mányoki (1673-1757) in Dresden. This was followed by a commision to paint an original portrait of Rákóczi [6727] for the county of Zemplén as part of the Millennium Celebrations.

The 1896 Millennium Celebrations in Hungary were a programme of nationwide festivities, exhibitions and public works projects to mark the thousand-year anniversary of the Magyars’ arrival in the Carpathian Basin. History painting was supported by official cultural policy to encourage artists to produce works celebrating important moments of Hungarian history. Lippich urged the twenty-seven-year old de László to paint a large historical composition for the event as a way of securing future government commissions. Lengthy correspondence between them survives in the Archive of the National Széchényi Library and the de László Archive discussing the choice of subject. De László suggested the Sortie of Zrínyi, a hero in the wars against the Turks, but this was rejected by Lippich who thought it overused.  

Ultimately de László decided to paint a notorious moment in Hungarian history, the attempted murder of King Robert Charles and his family in Visegrád by Felicián Zách in 1330. This was a popular subject in the 19th century as it symbolised Hungary’s battle against foreign repression by the Austrian Empire. De László’s life-size painting [11229] shows Zách at the moment his daughter tells him she has been dishonoured by the Queen’s brother. This is de László’s only large-scale history picture. Despite Lippich’s persistent urging, he did not pursue this genre and firmly established himself as a portrait painter, gaining independence from Lippich, who soon showed signs of resentment. On learning that de László was staying with Count Mailáth [110819] and with Princess Windischgrätz, he wrote to the artist to remind him of his humble origins: “My goodness, what has become of my little friend Philip? Do you still remember that shabby little idealist?”^[5]

Lippich’s close relationship with de Lászlό extended to his involvement in the artist’s personal affairs. He advised the young man to build a suitable house and studio for himself, and in 1896 the artist purchased a corner plot in the fashionable area in the Városliget (the City Park). Lippich bought a nearby plot for himself, and found an architect (László Gyalus) to design both his and de László’s houses.^[6] Lippich had long advised de László to convert to Christianity and the artist had already hungarianised his name from Laub to László in 1891. While he was in Bulgaria in 1894, Lippich forcefully urged him again to convert.^[7] After some hesitation, for fear of offending his mother, de László agreed. The christening probably took place in Budapest in July 1895, with Lippich acting as godfather. At the same time, de László adopted Lippich’s christian name “Elek” as his second name, and signed himself  Fülöp Elek.  Lippich in his letters would sometimes address the artist with pet names or call him “My dear son Laczi.”^[8] 

In 1900 Lippich, dressed somewhat incongruously in díszmagyar, served as best man for de László’s wedding to Lucy Guinness at St Brigid’s Church, Stillorgan near her family home Burton Hall outside Dublin. By this time tensions had begun to appear in their relationship. Lippich was losing control over the artist, who was spending most of his time abroad. He felt that de László’s marriage had come between them. Soon after the wedding he wrote to the artist: “I am envious of your Lucy, jealous of her, indeed I am a little resentful of her for keeping you exclusively to herself. I am telling you Laczi, this will lead to trouble. To conflict and to war. You grew up beside me as if you were my own dear son, so don’t be surprised if I complain and grumble.”^[9] 

In 1903 Lippich must have resented the fact that de László decided to leave Hungary to settle in Vienna, and the friendship developing with Gábor Térey, Chief Curator of the Old Masters’ Gallery at the Museum of Fine Arts [11881]. Lucy in her diary reflected on the tension between her husband and Lippich: “In talking of Lippich and Térey, how honest and true in heart he is in his dealings with them, what a friend for them to loose [sic] by their deceitful low ways.”^[10] Following the de Lászlós’ move to England the letters between the artist and his mentor became increasingly distant and formal, and finally entirely impersonal. De László came to suspect that Lippich had put obstacles in the way of his ennoblement, a process which had started in 1903 but did not materialise until 1912.^[11]

Elek Lippich de Nagykorongh et Kulcsárfalva was born on 2 April 1862 in Kunszentmárton, central Hungary, the son of Elek Lippich and his wife, Helena Theodosius. His father was a landowner, who died when Lippich was one year old. The family was probably of Dalmatian origin, and had been ennobled in 1608. He studied Law and the Humanities at the University of Budapest, and then Art History in Leipzig and Berlin. He joined the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs in 1886 and was appointed Ministerial Counsellor in 1896 and Head of the Art Department in 1899. In this capacity he was responsible for the government’s policies in Art, for commissioning works of art on behalf of the government, and awarding state scholarships.

Lippich supervised higher education in the Arts and Crafts, the national museums, the Theatre, and Music. Following the 1896 Millennial Exhibition a change occurred in the ideology of Hungarian Art, in which Lippich took a leading role. Academic and History painting declined, and instead Lippich advocated an artistic ideal based on folklore. He became an early propagator of the Arts and Crafts Movement in Hungary. During the latter part of the nineteenth century it became generally accepted that there was a connection between the Finnish and Hungarian languages, suggesting that the two nations had a common descent.^[12] In 1908 Lippich published a book on the Finns and Finnish Art.^[13] He enthusiastically supported a new artist colony in Szolnok and then in Gödöllő. The Gödöllő Group, inspired by the ideals of William Morris and John Ruskin, was founded by Lippich’s friend Kőrösfői-Kriesch.^[14] They had a special interest in Transylvanian folk art. De László was nominally a member of the Gŏdöllő Group, but their interests were quite different from his.^[15] The change of direction that Lippich took from the early 1900’s must have contributed to their alienation from each other.

Lippich’s eminent career as the leader of official policy on the Arts came to a sudden and unexpected end. In December 1910 the Hungarian Society of Fine Arts called a meeting to celebrate Lippich’s 25 years at the Ministry.^[16] Instead, a heated and bitter discussion ensued, in which the president of the Society and a number of participants, led by two well-known sculptors, József Róna^[17] and György Zala,^[18] made a series of allegations about Lippich’s dishonest behaviour. Lippich challenged his accusers to put their case in writing and started a court case against them, while the Minister ordered an enquiry. De László was in  Berlin at the time, but he  wrote to the Court on 1 March 1911. He stated that it was absolutely untrue that Lippich had pestered him by trying to borrow money. It was untrue that Lippich had taken one of his paintings and sold it to the State for several thousand Crowns, keeping the money for himself. “I never said that Lippich becoming my godfather had cost me a whole gallery-full of paintings. Between Lippich and me there exists the sacred relationship of godfather to godson.”^[19] 

The court case does not appear to have reached any conclusion, as Lippich resigned from his post and in 1913 left the country and went into self-exile, living in Merano, the opulent Austro-Hungarian spa town in South Tyrol (which remained part of Austria-Hungary until 1918). His wife’s death in September 1912 and his son’s suicide some months later must have contributed to this decision. While living in Merano he remained in contact with several Hungarian artists and wrote articles in Hungarian newspapers. In 1922, within a few days of the appointment of a new and distinguished Minister of Education, Count Kuno Klebelsberg, Lippich wrote him a memorandum about education in the Fine and Applied Arts.^[20] 

He died in Merano 11 April 1924.

EXHIBITED:
•Műcsarnok, Budapest, Millennium Exhibition 1896, no. 824
•Műcsarnok, Budapest, 1902

REFERENCES:
•Lippich, Elek, Koronghi Lippich Elek költeményei 1880-1902  (The Poems of Lippich Elek de Korongh 1880-1902) Illustrated by Körösfői-Kriesch Aladár and Nagy Sándor. Pallas részvénytársaság nyomdája, Budapest, 1903
•Lippich, Elek, A finnek és a finn művészet, (The Finns and Finnish Art), Budapest, 1908
•Linzer Volksblatt, 10 December 1910
•Pesti Hírlap, 5 March 1911, p. 7
•Lippich, Elek, Jelentés Klebelsberg Kunónak a képzőművészeti és iparművészeti oktatás ügyében (Report on education in the Fine Arts and Applied Arts), Széchenyi Library, Budapest, 4 July 1922
•Rutter, Owen, Portrait of a Painter, Hodder and Staughton, London, 1939, pp. 155-156, 227
•Somfalvi, Beáta, Philip de László’s fin de siècle villa in Budapest, Unpublished paper, 2013

•Field, Katherine ed., Gábor Bellák and Beáta Somfalvi, Philip de László (1869-1937); "I am an Artist of the World", Magyar Nemzeti Galéria, 2019, pp. 8, 15,  ill.

•László, Lucy de, 1890-1913 diary, private collection, 23 April 1903 entry

•NSzL150-0001, letter from de László to Elek Lippich, 8 March 1891

•DLA029-0142, letter from Elek Lippich to de László, 2 October 1894
•DLA029-0091, letter from Elek Lippich to de László, 10 October 1894

•DLA029-0143, letter from Elek Lippich to de László, 25 November 1894

•NSzL150-0016, letter from de László to Elek Lippich, [undated, presumably 1896]

•DLA029-0152, letter from Elek Lippich to de László, 18 October 1896
•DLA029-0101, letter from Elek Lippich to de László, 29 August 1900
•DLA038-0103, letter from unknown person to de László, 25 March 1903
•DLA029-0134, letter from Elek Lippich to de László [undated, presumably 1910]
•DLA011-0036, letter from Fülöp Szenes to de László, 16 January 1914

BS & Pd’O 2020