111011

UNTRACED  
Madame István Bárczy de Bárcziháza, née Edit Luczenbacher de Szob 1912   
Half-length to the right, looking to the left, wearing an off-the-shoulder organza stole, a corsage of flowers, probably orchids, at her breast

Oil [support and dimensions unknown]

Sitters’ Book I, f. 85: Bárczy Istvanné / London nászúton

The Hungarian inscription in the Sitters’ Book ("London nászúton") indicates that this portrait was painted in London when the sitter and her husband, István Bárczy de Bárcziháza, were on their honeymoon, and the portrait was given to them by de László as a wedding present. On their way home Bárczy, who was a close friend of de László, wrote from Vienna: “Neither I nor my wife had the opportunity to say good-bye to you and to thank you again with all our hearts for the beautiful portrait, which is really the most valuable wedding present for us and which will remain a souvenir of our honeymoon that we will treasure for the rest of our lives! In the beautiful old English frame and under glass the portrait is even more warmly effective. With your kind permission we will exhibit it at the Winter Exhibition [of the Hungarian Fine Art Society] so that the new work can be admired not only by the smarter section of English society, but here at home too by our own gold-braided grandees, who will then be able to delight in your art!”^[1]   

Edit Luczenbacher de Szob^[2] was born in Kismuzsla in the county of Nyitra (now Malá Mužla in Slovakia) on 18 June 1888, the daughter of István Luczenbacher de Szob (1848-1899) and his wife, Gizella Kobek de Bátorkeszi. On 15 April 1912 in Budapest, she married István Bárczy de Bárcziháza (1882-1952). Her husband, who for much of his career was Undersecretary of State in the Prime Minister's Office, was a close friend of de László and was painted by him in 1927 [111342].  

The couple had one son, Károly (Charlie) born in 1913, who died in 1934, probably of fulminating pulmonary tuberculosis.^[3] De László learned of the boy’s death from his brother Marczi, who attended the funeral. He noted in his diary: “From Marczi a letter came dated the 2 Feb. describing the death of Charlie - & the tragedy of good Bárczy - that he intends to separate from his ... wife & give up his fine house - How sad - at his age - all gone - the boy was the bridge.”^[4] Although the Bárczys sold their house in 1936,^[5] they did not separate. Edit de Bárczy died in 1973.

De László painted a second portrait of the sitter in London in June 1914 [111343].

EXHIBITED

•Műcsarnok,  Budapest, Országos Magyar Képzőművészeti Társulat [Hungarian Fine Art Society], Budapest, Téli kiállítás [Winter Exhibition]
•Műcsarnok, Budapest, Országos Magyar Képzőművészeti Társulat [Hungarian Fine Art Society], Tavaszi kiállítás és László Fülöp, Munkácsy Mihály, Pentelei Molnár János, valamit Petz Samu és Hűvös László összegyűjtött műveinek kiállítása [Spring Exhibition and Retrospectives of Philip de László, Mihály Munkácsy, János Pentelei Molnár, Samu Petz and László Hűvös], 4 May – 30 June 1925, no. 15

LITERATURE: 
•DLA068-0104, letter from István Bárczy de Bárcziháza to de László, 1 June 1912

•DLA162-0099, Pesti Hírlap, 6 November 1912, p. 33

•Vasárnapi Újság, 17 November 1912, p. 926 (ill.), p.928

Pd’O 2008