111089

UNTRACED

Countess József Mailáth de Székhely 1896

Wearing a black low-cut dress in front of a red background

Oil [support and dimensions unknown]

The sitter’s husband, Count József Mailáth [110819] met de László in 1896 when he visited Zsigmond Bubics, Bishop of Kassa [110798] while he was sitting to the artist. Mailáth was so impressed that he invited the artist for an extended stay on his estate at Perbenyik to paint his family.

During de László’s first visit to Perbenyik in September 1896 he painted a double portrait of the sitter’s daughters, Erzsébet and Stefanie^[1] [13008], individual study portraits of them [112504][110899] and began this, his first portrait of the Countess.^[2] Only the face was completed by the time of his departure in October to fulfil his commissions for the Preetorius family in Mainz [12564].^[3] He returned to Perbenyik in December, when he completed the present portrait, two portraits of Count József Mailáth [110819][111842] and two of his son, József Mailáth Jr [111845][113403]. He also painted the Countess’ father Count Pál Széchényi [111844][112206]. In 1897 he painted a second portrait of the Countess [111841] and her mother-in-law Stephanie Mailáth de Székhely [110801].

The artist was pleased with the present portrait of the Countess, “Elegant, I think, quite different to my previous works, in a black low-cut dress in front of an elaborate red background.”^[4] The Count was not so satisfied, “I do not like it very much, it may be that the artist tried to make it too good.”^[5] In his letters to the artist, he complained that the picture became colourless which makes his wife look old.^[6] “I’ve put my wife’s portrait in a frame as well, it looks very good, but colourless, as the canvas absorbed the paint. The picture is good and similar, just a bit too serious around the lips.”^[7] The Count commissioned a second portrait, and this was begun in December 1896 [111841].

Countess Mária Franziska Georgine Széchényi de Sárvár-Felsővidék was born in Románfalva (now Slovakia) on 19 September 1863, daughter of Count Pál Klemens Széchényi de Sárvár-Felsővidék (1838-1901) and Countess Erzsébet Andrássy de Csíkszentkirály et Krasznahorka (1840-1926). She was an Imperial and Royal lady-in-waiting and Dame of the Order of the Starry Cross to the Imperial Court in Vienna.

In 1886, she married József Mailáth de Székhely (1858-1940) in the chapel of the Primate’s Palace in the Buda Castle. The couple went to live on the Mailáth family estate in Perbenyik. Like her husband, the Countess was committed to local affairs. In 1898, she founded the charitable Women’s Association of Interbodrog under the patronage of Baroness Pál Sennyey (1847-1940) and Princess Lajos Windisch-Grätz (1843-1912) with the aim of helping the children and the poor and developing cottage industries. She often organised charity events to fund the Association.

They had five children, Erzsébet (born 1889), Stefánia (born 1891), József (born 1895), Mária (born 1897) and Pál (born 1899).

As a talented pianist and conductor, the countess encouraged her children’s musical education, and they regularly gave family concerts. These came to an end at the start of the First World War and the castle was transformed into a hospital where she took an active role in training nurses.

The sitter died in Budapest on 30 April 1932.

PROVENANCE:

Count József Mailáth^[8]

LITERATURE:        

•Frantz, Henri, Les peintres de la femme, Fulop Laszlo, in: Les Modes, No. 27, March 1903, p. 20

•NSzL150-0032, letter from de László to Elek Lippich, 4 September 1896

•NSzL150-0033, letter from de László to Elek Lippich, 7 September 1896

•NSzL150-0034, letter from de László to Elek Lippich, 21 September 1896

•NSzL150-0035, letter from de László to Elek Lippich, 2 October 1896

•DLA029-0011, letter from József Mailáth to de László, 17 October 1896

•DLA029-0009, letter from József Mailáth to de László, 23 October 1896

•DLA029-0004, letter from József Mailáth to de László, 20 November 1896

•DLA029-0004, letter from József Mailáth to de László, 22 November 1896

•NSzL150-0040, letter from de László to Elek Lippich, 7 December 1896

•NSzL150-0044, letter from de László to Elek Lippich, 8 January 1897

•NSzL150-0045, letter from de László to Elek Lippich, 10 January 1897

•DLA111-0141, Count József Mailáth, Egyet-mást László Fülöpről [A few things about Philip László], In: Budapesti Hίrlap, 13 November 1927

•DLA030-0015, letter from József Mailáth to de László, 23 January 1928

•DLA025-0008, letter from István Bárczy to de László, 1937

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