Philip de László

Philip de László
Born	Fülöp Laub Template:Birth date Pest, Kingdom of Hungary (now Budapest, Hungary)
Died	November 22, 1937(1937-11-22) (aged 68) London, England
Occupation	Portrait artist
Years active	Late 19th century–1937
Known for	Portraits of royalty and high society

Philip Alexius László de Lombos (originally named Fülöp Laub; ; 30 April 1869 – 22 November 1937), professionally recognized as Philip de László, was an Anglo-Hungarian artist celebrated for his portraits of royalty and high society. In 1900, he wed the Anglo-Irish socialite Lucy Guinness and became a British citizen in 1914. His distinguished clientele honored him with several accolades, notably his investiture into the Royal Victorian Order by Edward VII in 1909 and his ennoblement by Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria in 1912, which granted him entry into the Hungarian nobility.

Early life

Born as Fülöp Laub in Pest (currently part of Budapest), he was the eldest child of Adolf and Johanna Laub, a tailor and seamstress of Jewish descent. In 1891, he and his brother Marczi adopted the surname László.

Beginning his career apprenticed to a photographer while pursuing art studies, he secured admission to the National Academy of Art where he trained under Bertalan Székely and Károly Lotz. He later continued his education in Munich and Paris. His portrait of Pope Leo XIII earned the Grand Gold Medal at the 1900 Paris International Exhibition. László moved from Budapest to Vienna in 1903, then settled in London by 1907, from which he traveled widely to complete commissions.

Personal life

In 1900, László married Lucy Madeleine Guinness, belonging to the banking branch of the Guinness family and sister to Henry Guinness. They first met in Munich in 1892 but were prohibited from maintaining contact for several years. The couple had six children and eventually seventeen grandchildren.

As a young man, László developed an affinity for Catholicism, likely influenced by friends from Bavaria. He was baptized in 1894 and maintained strong personal faith, although he was not a regular churchgoer. His religious conviction intensified following a visit to the Vatican in 1900 during which he painted Pope Leo XIII. After marrying, he converted to Anglicanism and raised their children within the Protestant tradition. During a lecture delivered in 1934, he articulated his view of nature as both a manifestation of divine revelation and a form of worship.

Later life

László received multiple honors from his patrons, including being named a Member of the Royal Victorian Order (MVO) by Edward VII in 1909. In 1912, King Franz Joseph elevated him to nobility, bestowing upon him the title "de Lombos," though he later preferred using "de László."

Despite his British nationality and family connections, during World War I he was interned for over a year on suspicion of communicating with enemy forces due to correspondence sent to relatives in Austria. He was released on grounds of ill health and officially cleared in 1919; however, this ordeal significantly disrupted his professional life.

In his later years, de László experienced cardiac issues, suffering a heart attack in October 1937 and passing away a month afterward at his London residence, Hyme House. His artwork was included in the painting event at the 1932 Summer Olympics.

Notable biographies include the authorized 1939 Portrait of a Painter by Owen Rutter and the comprehensive 2010 Yale University Press volume De László, His Life and Art authored by Duff Hart-Davis and Dr. Caroline Corbeau-Parsons. While primarily recognized for society portraits, his subjects also spanned industrialists, scientists, politicians, artists, and authors. A family-led initiative is currently assembling an online catalogue raisonné encompassing nearly 4,000 pieces.

Among his seventeen grandchildren are individuals who have made significant contributions across arts and industry sectors.

Subjects

Among the distinguished figures whose portraits were created by László are:

• Count Albert Apponyi (painted in 1897 and again in 1930)
• Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria (1899)
• Empress Elizabeth of Austria (depicted posthumously in 1899)
• Arthur Balfour (portraits from 1908 and 1914)
• Count Leopold Berchtold (1907)
• George Bell, the Bishop of Chichester (1931)
• Sir Henry Birchenough (1926)
• Sir Ernest Cassel (1900)
• Count and Countess Jean de Castellane (1899)
• Robin Vane-Tempest-Stewart, 8th Marquess of Londonderry (1911)
• Lady Castlereagh (painted in 1913, 1918, and 1927)
• William Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland (1912)
• Sir Austen Chamberlain (1920)
• Elisabeth, Duchess of Clermont-Tonnerre (1902)
• U.S. President Calvin Coolidge (1926)
• George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston (1913)
• Grace Curzon, Marchioness Curzon of Kedleston (1916)
• Randall Davidson, Archbishop of Canterbury (1926)
• British botanist George Claridge Druce (1931)
• Sir Alfred East (1907)
• William II, German Emperor (1908)
• Augusta Victoria, German Empress and Queen of Prussia (painted in 1899 and again in 1908)
• Cecilie, German Crown Princess (1908)
• Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen (1899)
• Bernhard III, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen (1899)
• Catherine, Baroness d'Erlanger (1899)
• Margaret Eustis Finley (1932)
• Georg von und zu Franckenstein (1925)
• The Duke and Duchess of Gramont (1902)
• Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark (1913)
• Princess Andrew of Greece, born Princess Alice of Battenberg (painted in 1907 and 1922)
• King Constantine I of Greece (1914)
• Princess Nicholas of Greece, formerly Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia (1922)
• Queen Olga of Greece (1914)
• Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark (1914)
• Princess Anastasia of Greece and Denmark (1915)
• Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark (1919)
• Princess George of Greece and Denmark (1921)
• Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark (1922)
• Elisabeth, Queen of Greece (painted in 1924 and 1925)
• Gwen Mullins (1925)
• Princess Margarita of Greece and Denmark (1928)
• Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark (1928)
• Princess Irene, Duchess of Aosta (1931)
• The Archimandrite Gregorius (1894)
• Lucy Guinness—who later became Philip de László's wife—(painted multiple times: 1901, 1902, 1918, 1919, and 1936)
• Prince Chlodwig zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst (1899)
• Charles Holme (1928)
• Joseph Joachim (1903)
• Hudson Kearley, 1st Viscount Devonport (1914)
• Arnold Keppel, 8th Earl of Albemarle (1916)
• Jan Kubelik (1903)
• Cosmo Gordon Lang, Archbishop of Canterbury (painted in 1932 and again in 1933)
• Johnny de László, Philip de László's youngest son (1919)
• Stephen and Paul de László, his sons portrayed together in 1910
• Pope Leo XIII (1900)
• Lord Leverhulme (1926)
• James Lowther, 1st Viscount Ullswater (1907)
• Earl and Countess of Mansfield painted separately: the Earl in 1930 and the Countess in 1927
• James Robert Dundas McEwen(1915) alongside Mary Frances Dundas McEwen(1913 or 1914)
• Andrew W. Mellon(1931)
• Baroness Conrad de Meyendorff
• Lord and Lady Minto depicted in 1912
• Princess Charlotte of Monaco(1928) with Prince Louis II of Monaco also painted that year
• Jeanne de Montagnac, Madame Maximilian von Jaunez portrayed in 1909, 1911, and 1914
• Louis Mountbatten, initially Prince Louis of Battenberg(1910, 1914)
• Edwina Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma(1923, 1924)
• Victoria Mountbatten, Marchioness of Milford Haven(1923)
• George Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven(1924)
• Louis Mountbatten, later Earl Mountbatten of Burma(1925)
• William Waldegrave Palmer, 2nd Earl of Selborne(1911)
• Joseph Ferguson Peacocke, Archbishop of Dublin(1908)
• Alan Percy, 8th Duke of Northumberland(1927)
• Helen Percy, Duchess of Northumberland featured in portraits from 1916, 1928 & 1937
• Lady Elizabeth Percy painted in 1922
• Lord Richard Percy together with Lady Diana Percy depicted in 1924
• Professor Vittorio Putti around the year 1925
• Mariano Cardinal Rampolla portrayed in 1900
• Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts shown in a portrait from 1911

...

The list continues with numerous other notable personalities including royalty such as Queen Marie of Romania; Helen of Greece and Denmark; Kings Carol II; Ferdinand I; Michael I; U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt; literary figure Vita Sackville-West; European nobility including Charles Alexander Grand Duke; King Alfonso XIII with multiple members from the Spanish royal family; Queen Louise of Sweden; British royals like King Edward VII; Alexandra of Denmark; Princess Victoria; members from the Bowes-Lyon family including Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother; King George VI as Duke York; Queen Elizabeth II as Princess Elizabeth; Prince George Duke Kent & Princess Marina Duchess Kent among others.

Further reading

• Official de László Catalogue Raisonné website
• Profile and portraits at the National Portrait Gallery; accessed 15 August 2007.
• Articles about de László, jssgallery.org; retrieved 15 August 2007.
• Interview with Hon. Sandra de Laszlo discussing his artistic legacy; accessed 15 August 2007.
• Millennium catalogue of the Royal Society of Portrait Painters; viewed 17 October 2014.
• Insights into Philip de László's passion for picture framing; accessed 23 March 2021.
• Portrait of Princess Victoria Alexandra Olga Mary of Wales (1907), npg.org.uk; accessed 17 October 2014.