110622

Figure study

Man Wearing a Red Turban 1895

A man lying full-length on a terrace or rooftop, wearing a red turban, white shirt and blue trousers, leaning on his right arm, his face resting in his right hand, a parapet and foliage behind

Oil on board, 13.5 x 26 cm (5 ¼ x 10 ⅛ in.)

Inscribed lower left: LÁSZLÓ F. / 95 SPALATO

Private Collection

De László began his career as a genre painter; however, his visit to Bulgaria in 1894 to paint Prince Ferdinand [3937], his wife [3715] and son [3712] inspired a move toward portraiture as his main source of income. He continued to make spontaneous studies of local people and places that caught his eye during his extensive travels for the rest of his life.

In 1894 and 1895 Hungary was caught up in fervent preparations for the 1896 Millennium celebrations and artists were encouraged to work on historical subjects. While staying at the Bulgarian Court, de László was urged by his mentor Elek Lippich de Korongh [112171] to travel to Constantinople. The Ottoman–Hungarian Wars of 1366-1526 provided an ideal source for patriotic subjects and de László planned to visit the Ottoman capitol. But his stay in Bulgaria was extended by a commission to paint Archimandrite Gregorius [3720] and by the time he finished winter had arrived in Constantinople.

1n 1895 de László was in Dresden to fulfil a commission from the Hungarian government to copy a portrait of Prince Rákóczi Ferenc II [6724]. He also planned to paint Rákóczi in exile in Rodosto and visited the North Sea and the Adriatic (Abbazia, Zara, Spalato) in August and September to find suitable coastal scenery for the painting [111746]. It was during the visit to Spalato that he made the present picture and wrote a letter to Lippich from there, dated 23 September 1895. Rákóczi in Rodosto [112621]  remained unfinished and was in the artist’s studio until his death. De László also made a number of preparatory sketches for the picture while on the Dalmatian shore [111746] [111764] [111766] [111768].

PROVENANCE:

Offered for sale at Kieselbach Gallery and Auction House, 16 December 2005, lot 86

LITERATURE:
•NSzL150-0024, letter from de László to Elek Lippich, 23 September 1895, National Széchényi Library, Budapest

SdeL 2017