8634

Study portrait 

Christopher de Laszlo 1937

Seated three quarter length, wearing a pale blue short-sleeved shirt and cornflower blue trousers, holding a green box with two compartments and two coloured balls on a string in his right hand

Oil on board, 73.7 x 46.4 cm (29 x 18 ¼ in.)

Inscribed lower right: in memory of Joe's 25 Aug / 1937 / from Dadds / de László 

Laib L13318(226) / C19(18A)  Child of Mrs Philip [sic] de Laszlo

Private Collection

Josephine de Laszlo [10477], mother of the sitter, celebrated her birthday on 25 August 1937 and this was the artist’s gift to her. The picture was still in his studio at the time of his death, only three months later, suggesting that he may not have completed it or had not had the opportunity to present it to the sitter’s mother.

Christopher was born in May 1936, the son of Paul de Laszlo and his wife Josephine Vavasour MacConnell, and was the artist’s first grandchild. A photograph shows him holding the baby outside Chelsea Old Church, where he was christened 7 July 1936.

He was twice married, with two children from each marriage: Alexandra and Frederick and Katrina and Davina.

He spent his final years living at The Charterhouse in London EC and died on the 10th March 2022.

PROVENANCE:  

In the possession of the artist on his death;

Paul de Laszlo;

By descent

KF 2016