111842

UNTRACED

Count József Mailáth de Székhely 1896

In Hunting Dress

Oil [support and dimensions unknown]

Sitters’ Book I, opp. f. 51: A kezdő kis László régi jó ismerőse és híve 6 év mulva meglátogatta a kész nagy Lászlót / B.pest 1901 április 20 án / azon reményben, hogy első magyarországi arcz – képeit, melyeket Perbenyiken rossz világitás mellett,  alacsony szobában festett, nemsokára ott a helyszínen jobb világitásban fog megtekinteni jönni / Mailáth József  [The old friend and follower of the beginner, the little László, visited the finished great László after 6 years in Budapest on 20th April 1901, in the hope that he will soon be able to come to view his first Hungarian portraits, which he painted at Perbenyik in poor lighting and in low-ceilinged rooms, in order that he may see them again in the same place and in better lighting.]

On his second visit to the Mailáth family estate at Perbenyik in early December 1896, de László painted two portraits of his patron Count József Mailáth. He completed the first in díszmagyar [110819], which was started during the artist’s first visit in September when he also painted the double portrait of the sitter’s daughters, Erzsébet and Stefanie [13008] and started the first portrait of his wife [111089].

Though it is untraced, the Count later recalled that the present portrait was “a small sketch of myself in hunting dress.”^[1] The portrait evidently pleased the sitter as he described it as, “a fine picture.”^[2] 

For biographical notes on the sitter, see [110819].

PROVENANCE:

Count József Mailáth^[3]

EXHIBITED:         

•Hungarian Fine Art Society, Tavaszi kiállítás [Spring Exhibition], Budapest, 1897, no. 34

LITERATURE:

•DLA029-0015, letter from József Mailáth to László, 2 December 1896

•NSzL150-0041, letter from de László to Elek Lippich, 19 December 1896

•NSzL150-0042, letter from de László to Elek Lippich, 20 December 1896

•DLA091-0169, Sándor Nyári, press cutting, 15 April [1897 assumed]

•DLA043-0060, Silberstein, Dr. Adolf , Spring Exhibition at the Künstlerhaus, Pester Lloyd [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

•László, Philip de, 1933-1934 diary, private collection, 21 March entry, p. 136

BS 2024