3629

UNFINISHED

Faith Moore, with her three adopted sons, John Graham, David Drummond, and Peter Lee

Full-length, Faith Moore seated in three-quarter profile to the left, a table beside her with skeins of wool and flowers in a vase upon it, her sewing on her lap spilling on to the floor; to her right John standing dressed in cricket whites with a large open book in his hands; to his right David seated on a stool in front of the fireplace, one hand on his left knee, the other behind him, wearing a pale blue shirt and grey shorts and socks; Peter seated on the floor to his right, wearing a white shirt, grey shorts and socks with brown shoes, one elbow resting on the corner of the stool, the other on  the head of their West Highland terrier, Jock, who lies in front of him

Oil on canvas, 81.3 x 99 cm (32 x 39 in.)

Private Collection

This picture was painted in Faith Moore’s home, Downshire House in Roehampton. The circumstances under which this unfinished group portrait was painted remain uncertain as does the date of execution. The appearance of Faith Moore suggests that it is the latest of the four portraits de László made of her and can therefore be dated to after 1920, when the artist painted her at Chequers [6212]. De László also made a preparatory drawing for this compostition [6214].

According to relations of the sitters, the present portrait was never completed because of a disagreement between Faith Moore and de László, but the nature of this disagreement remains unknown.

For biographical notes on Faith Moore, see [6199].

CC 2008