Philip Alexius László de Lombos (born Fülöp Laub; hu, Fülöp Elek László; 30 April 1869 – 22 November 1937), known professionally as Philip de László, was an Anglo-Hungarian painter known particularly for his portraits of royal and aristocratic personages. In 1900, he married the

Anglo-Irish Anglo-Irish people () denotes an ethnic, social and religious grouping who are mostly the descendants and successors of the English Protestant Ascendancy in Ireland. They mostly belong to the Anglican Church of Ireland, which was the establis ...

socialite Lucy Guinness, and he became a British subject in 1914.

Early life

László was born in humble circumstances in

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population o ...

as Fülöp Laub, the eldest son of Adolf and Johanna Laub, a tailor and seamstress of Jewish origin. Fülöp and his younger brother Marczi changed their surname to László in 1891. He was apprenticed at an early age to a photographer while studying art, eventually earning a place at the National Academy of Art, where he studied under Bertalan Székely and Károly Lotz. He followed this with studies in Munich and Paris. László's portrait of

Pope Leo XIII Pope Leo XIII ( it, Leone XIII; born Vincenzo Gioacchino Raffaele Luigi Pecci; 2 March 1810 – 20 July 1903) was the head of the Catholic Church from 20 February 1878 to his death in July 1903. Living until the age of 93, he was the second-ol ...

earned him a Grand Gold Medal at the Paris International Exhibition in 1900. In 1903, László moved from Budapest to

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. In 1907, he moved to England and remained based in London for the remainder of his life, although endlessly travelling the world to fulfil commissions.

Personal life

In 1900, László married Lucy Madeleine Guinness, a member of the banking branch of the Guinness family and a sister of

Henry Guinness Henry Seymour Guinness (24 November 1858 – 4 April 1945) was an Irish engineer, banker and politician. Early life Guinness was born at Burton Hall, Stillorgan, County Dublin, the family home, on 24 November 1858. He was a son of Emelina (née ...

. They had first met in Munich in 1892, but for some years had been forbidden to see each other. The couple had six children and 17 grandchildren. László became interested in Catholicism as a young man, probably through his friendship with the Valentins, an elderly Bavarian couple. He was baptised into the Hungarian Catholic Church in 1894 ... "he never worshipped regularly but read the Bible and was a firm believer in God and the Christian story". His faith was especially strengthened by his visit to the Vatican in 1900, where he met and painted the aging

. László converted to

Anglicanism Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of t ...

upon his marriage, and his children were raised as Protestants. At a lecture to the Fisher Society in 1934, he said "I believe that to worship nature is a religious duty. I see in nature the fullest revelation of the Divinity, and my faith is that only by acceptance of this revelation and by striving to realise it in all its perfection can I prove my worship to be sincere".

Later life

László's patrons awarded him numerous honours and medals. In 1909, he was invested MVO by

Edward VII Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until Death and state funeral of Edward VII, his death in 1910. The second chil ...

. In 1912, he was ennobled by King Franz Joseph of Hungary; his surname then became "László de Lombos", but he soon was using the name "de László". Despite his British citizenship, his marriage and five British citizen sons, de László was interned for over twelve months in 1917 and 1918 during the

First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, accused of making contact with the enemy (he had written letters to family members in Austria). He was released on grounds of ill health, and exonerated in June 1919. PhilpeoSignature

De László suffered heart problems for the last years of his life. In October 1937, he had a heart attack and died a month later at his home, Hyme House, in

Hampstead Hampstead () is an area in London, which lies northwest of Charing Cross, and extends from the A5 road (Roman Watling Street) to Hampstead Heath, a large, hilly expanse of parkland. The area forms the northwest part of the London Borough o ...

, London. His work was part of the painting event in the art competition at the

1932 Summer Olympics The 1932 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the X Olympiad and also known as Los Angeles 1932) were an international multi-sport event held from July 30 to August 14, 1932 in Los Angeles, California, United States. The Games were held duri ...

. In 1939, ''Portrait of a Painter. The Authorized Life of Philip de László'' by

Owen Rutter Edward Owen Rutter (7 November 1889 – 2 August 1944) was an English historian, novelist and travel writer. After serving with the North Borneo Civil Service from 1910 to 1915, Rutter returned to Britain during the First World War and was commis ...

, written in conjunction with de László, was published. In 2010, Yale University Press published ''De László, His Life and Art'' by

Duff Hart-Davis Peter Duff Hart-Davis (born 3 June 1936), generally known as Duff Hart-Davis is a British biographer, naturalist and journalist, who writes for '' The Independent'' newspaper. He is married to Phyllida Barstow and has one son and one daughter, t ...

and Dr. Caroline Corbeau-Parsons. His reputation still remains largely as a society portrait painter, but well numbered amongst his sitters were industrialists and scientists, politicians and painters, men and women of letters and many other eminent, as well as ordinary, people. Family members and a team of editors are compiling
catalogue raisonné
''www.delaszlocatalogueraisonne.com'' published online and in progress. His oeuvre currently numbers almost 4,000 works, including drawings.

Subjects

Portraits painted by László include the following individuals: * Count Albert Apponyi (1897, 1930) * Emperor Franz Joseph I of Austria (1899) * Empress Elizabeth of Austria (posthumous, 1899) * Arthur Balfour''Laszlo; A Brush with Grandeur'' (1908, 1914) * Count Leopold Berchtold (1907) * George Bell, 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 (later Edith, Marchioness of Londonderry; 1913, 1918, 1927) * William Cavendish-Bentinck, 6th Duke of Portland (1912) * Sir Austen Chamberlain (1920) * Elisabeth, Duchess of Clermont-Tonnerre (1902) * U.S. President

Calvin Coolidge Calvin Coolidge (born John Calvin Coolidge Jr.; ; July 4, 1872January 5, 1933) was the 30th president of the United States from 1923 to 1929. Born in Vermont, Coolidge was a Republican lawyer from New England who climbed up the ladder of Ma ...

(1926) * George Curzon, 1st Marquess Curzon of Kedleston (former Earl Curzon of Kedleston; 1913) *

Grace Curzon, Marchioness Curzon of Kedleston Grace Elvina Curzon, Marchioness Curzon of Kedleston, GBE (née Hinds, formerly Duggan; May 16, 1885 – June 29, 1958) was an American-born British marchioness and the second wife of George Curzon, British parliamentarian, cabinet minister, an ...

(1916) *

Randall Davidson Randall Thomas Davidson, 1st Baron Davidson of Lambeth, (7 April 1848 – 25 May 1930) was an Anglican priest who was Archbishop of Canterbury from 1903 to 1928. He was the longest-serving holder of the office since the Reformation, and the f ...

, Archbishop of Canterbury (1926) * George Claridge Druce, British botanist (1931) * Sir Alfred East (1907) * William II, German Emperor (1908) * Augusta Victoria, German Empress and Queen of Prussia (1899, 1908) * Cecilie, German Crown Princess (1908) * Princess Charlotte, Duchess of Saxe-Meiningen (1899) *

Bernhard III, Duke of Saxe-Meiningen en, Bernhard Frederick William Albert George , predecessor = Georg II , successor =''Monarchy abolished'' , succession1 = Head of the House of Saxe-Meiningen , reign1 =1918–1928 , reign-type1 = Tenure , predecessor1 = Georg II ...

(1899) *

Catherine, Baroness d'Erlanger Baroness Marie Rose Antoinette Catherine de Robert d'Aqueria de Rochegude d'Erlanger (1874–1959) was a patron of the arts, supporting artists such as the Ballet Russe de Monte Carlo, Cecil Beaton, Romaine Brooks, Philip de László and Sergei D ...

(1899) * Margaret Eustis Finley (1932) *

Georg von und zu Franckenstein Georg Albert Freiherr von und zu Franckenstein (18 March 1878 – 14 October 1953), known as Sir George Franckenstein, was an Austrian diplomat and a member of the Franckenstein (house of), Franckenstein family. Opposed to the Nazis, he became ...

(1925) * The Duke and Duchess of Gramont (1902) * Prince Andrew of Greece and Denmark (1913) * Princess Andrew of Greece (born Princess Alice of Battenberg; 1907, 1922) *

King Constantine I of Greece Constantine I ( el, Κωνσταντίνος Αʹ, ''Konstantínos I''; – 11 January 1923) was King of Greece from 18 March 1913 to 11 June 1917 and from 19 December 1920 to 27 September 1922. He was commander-in-chief of the Hellenic Army ...

(1914) * Princess Nicholas of Greece (former Grand Duchess Elena Vladimirovna of Russia; 1922) *

Queen Olga of Greece Olga Constantinovna of Russia ( el, Όλγα; 18 June 1926) was queen consort of Greece as the wife of King George I. She was briefly the regent of Greece in 1920. A member of the Romanov dynasty, she was the oldest daughter of Grand Duke C ...

(1914) *

Princess Cecilie of Greece and Denmark Princess is a regal rank and the feminine equivalent of prince (from Latin ''princeps'', meaning principal citizen). Most often, the term has been used for the consort of a prince, or for the daughter of a king or prince. Princess as a subst ...

(1914) * Princess Anastasia of Greece and Denmark (1915) *

Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark Prince Christopher of Greece and Denmark ( el, Χριστόφορος; 10 August 1888 – 21 January 1940) was the fifth and youngest son and youngest child of King George I of Greece, belonging to a dynasty which mounted and lost the throne of ...

(1919) * Princess George of Greece and Denmark (1921) *

Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark Princess Olga of Greece and Denmark ( el, Όλγα; 11 June 1903 – 16 October 1997) was a Greek princess who became princess of Yugoslavia as the wife of Prince Paul, Regent of the Kingdom of Yugoslavia. Princess Olga was a daughter of Princ ...

(1922) * Elisabeth, Queen of Greece (1924, 1925) *

Princess Margarita of Greece and Denmark Princess Margarita of Greece and Denmark ( el, Μαργαρίτα; 18 April 1905 – 24 April 1981) was by birth a Greek and Danish princess as well as Princess of Hohenlohe-Langenburg by marriage. A sister-in-law of Queen Elizabeth II of the Uni ...

(1928) * Princess Theodora of Greece and Denmark (1928) *

Princess Irene, Duchess of Aosta Princess Irene of Greece and Denmark () (13 February 1904 – 15 April 1974) was the fifth child and second daughter of Constantine I of Greece and his wife, the former Princess Sophie of Prussia. She was a member of the royal families of G ...

(1931) * The Archimandrite Gregorius (1894) * Lucy Guinness (Philip de László's future wife; 1901, 1902, 1918, 1919 and 1936) *

Prince Chlodwig zu Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. ...

(1899) *

Charles Holme Charles Holme (; 1848–1923) was an English journalist and art critic, founding editor of ''The Studio'' from 1893. He published a series of books promoting peasant art in the first decades of the 20th century. Life Holme was born on 7 Octob ...

''The Studio'', 105 (418), January 1928. (1928) * Joseph Joachim (1903) * Hudson Kearley, 1st Viscount Devonport (1914) * Arnold Keppel, 8th Earl of Albemarle (1916) * Jan Kubelik (1903) *

Cosmo Gordon Lang William Cosmo Gordon Lang, 1st Baron Lang of Lambeth, (31 October 1864 – 5 December 1945) was a Scottish Anglican prelate who served as Archbishop of York (1908–1928) and Archbishop of Canterbury (1928–1942). His elevation to Archbishop ...

, Archbishop of Canterbury (1932, 1933) * Johnny de László (Philip de László's youngest son; 1919) * Stephen and Paul de László (his sons, 1910) *

(1900) *

Lord Leverhulme William Hesketh Lever, 1st Viscount Leverhulme , (, ; 19 September 1851 – 7 May 1925) was an English industrialist, philanthropist, and politician. Having been educated at a small private school until the age of nine, then at church schools ...

(1926) * James Lowther, 1st Viscount Ullswater (1907) * Earl and Countess of Mansfield

Scone Palace Scone Palace is a Category A-listed historic house near the village of Scone and the city of Perth, Scotland. Built in red sandstone with a castellated roof, it is an example of the Gothic Revival style in Scotland. Scone was originally the ...

(separately) (Earl 1930, Countess 1927) * James Robert Dundas McEwen (1915) * Mary Frances Dundas McEwen (1913 or 1914) * Andrew W. Mellon (1931) * Baroness Conrad de Meyendorff (born Nadine Vladimimova Louguinine) * Lord and Lady Minto (1912) * Princess Charlotte of Monaco (1928) * Prince Louis II of Monaco (1928) * Louis Mountbatten, 1st Marquess of Milford Haven(1910, 1914; when Prince Louis of Battenberg) * Edwina Mountbatten, Countess Mountbatten of Burma (1923, 1924; former Lady Louis Mountbatten) *

Victoria Mountbatten, Marchioness of Milford Haven Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine (Victoria Alberta Elizabeth Mathilde Marie; 5 April 1863 – 24 September 1950), later Victoria Mountbatten, Marchioness of Milford Haven, was the eldest daughter of Louis IV, Grand Duke of Hesse and by Rh ...

(born Princess Victoria of Hesse and by Rhine; 1923) *

George Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven Captain George Louis Victor Henry Serge Mountbatten, 2nd Marquess of Milford Haven, (6 November 1892Hessisches Hauptstaatsarchiv; Wiesbaden, Deutschland; Bestand: ''901''; Laufende Nummer: ''150'' – 8 April 1938), born Prince George of Batten ...

(1924) * Louis Mountbatten, 1st Earl Mountbatten of Burma (1925; former Lord Louis Mountbatten) * 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 (1916, 1928 & 1937) * Lady Elizabeth Percy (1922) * Lord Richard Percy and Lady Diana Percy (1924) * Professor Vittorio Putti (c. 1925) * Mariano Cardinal Rampolla (1900) *

Frederick Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts Field Marshal Frederick Sleigh Roberts, 1st Earl Roberts, (30 September 1832 – 14 November 1914) was a British Victorian era general who became one of the most successful British military commanders of his time. Born in India to an Anglo-Iri ...

(1911) * Queen Marie of Romania (1924, 1936) *

Helen of Greece and Denmark Helen of Greece and Denmark ( el, Ελένη, ''Eleni''; ; 2 May 1896 – 28 November 1982) was the queen mother of Romania during the reign of her son King Michael I (1940–1947). She was noted for her humanitarian efforts to save Romanian ...

(former Queen Mother of Romania; 1925) * King

Carol II of Romania Carol II (4 April 1953) was King of Romania from 8 June 1930 until his forced abdication on 6 September 1940. The eldest son of Ferdinand I, he became crown prince upon the death of his grand-uncle, King Carol I in 1914. He was the first of th ...

(1936) * King Ferdinand I of Romania (1936) * King Michael I of Romania (1936) * U.S. President

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

(1910) *

Vita Sackville-West Victoria Mary, Lady Nicolson, Order of the Companions of Honour, CH (Birth name, née Sackville-West; 9 March 1892 – 2 June 1962), usually known as Vita Sackville-West, was an English author and garden designer. Sackville-West was a su ...

(1910) * Charles Alexander, Grand Duke of Saxe-Weimar-Eisenach (1898) * King Alfonso XIII of Spain (1927) *

Queen Victoria Eugenia of Spain Queen or QUEEN may refer to: Monarchy * Queen regnant, a female monarch of a Kingdom ** List of queens regnant * Queen consort, the wife of a reigning king * Queen dowager, the widow of a king * Queen mother, a queen dowager who is the mother ...

(painted 1910, 1913, 1920, 1927, and 1928) *

Infante Gonzalo of Spain Infante Gonzalo of Spain (Gonzalo Manuel Maria Bernardo Narciso Alfonso Mauricio de Borbón y Battenberg; 24 October 1914 – 13 August 1934) was the fourth surviving son and youngest child of King Alfonso XIII of Spain and his wife Princess Vic ...

(1927) * Infante Juan, Count of Barcelona (1927) * Alfonso, Prince of Asturias (1927) * Infante Jaime, Duke of Segovia (1927) *

Infanta Beatriz of Spain Infanta Beatriz of Spain, Princess of Civitella-Cesi (''Beatriz Isabel Federica Alfonsa Eugénie Cristina Maria Teresia Bienvenida Ladislàa de Borbón y Battenberg''; 22 June 1909 – 22 November 2002) was a daughter of King Alfonso XIII of Spain ...

(1927) * Infanta María Cristina of Spain (1927) * Queen Louise of Sweden (former Princess Louise of Battenberg; 1907) * Princess Beatrice (1912, 1926) * Princess Louise, Duchess of Argyll (1915) *

Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone Princess Alice, Countess of Athlone (Alice Mary Victoria Augusta Pauline; 25 February 1883 – 3 January 1981) was a member of the British royal family. She is the longest-lived British princess of royal blood, and was the last surviving grand ...

(1929, 1932) *

Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn (Arthur William Patrick Albert; 1 May 185016 January 1942), was the seventh child and third son of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom and Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha. He served as G ...

(1937) *

King Edward VII of the United Kingdom Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910. The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria and ...

(1907) *

Queen Alexandra of the United Kingdom Alexandra of Denmark (Alexandra Caroline Marie Charlotte Louise Julia; 1 December 1844 – 20 November 1925) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Empress of India, from 22 January 1901 to 6 May 1910 as the wife of King ...

(1907) * Princess Victoria (1907) * Claude Bowes-Lyon, 14th Earl of Strathmore and Kinghorne (1931) *

Cecilia Bowes-Lyon, Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne Cecilia Nina Bowes-Lyon, Countess of Strathmore and Kinghorne (' Cavendish-Bentinck; 11 September 1862 – 23 June 1938) was the mother of Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother, maternal grandmother and godmother of Queen Elizabeth II, and great-gr ...

(1931) *

Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother Elizabeth Angela Marguerite Bowes-Lyon (4 August 1900 – 30 March 2002) was Queen of the United Kingdom and the Dominions of the British Commonwealth from 11 December 1936 to 6 February 1952 as the wife of King George VI. She was th ...

(1925, 1931) * King George VI of the United Kingdom (1931) *

Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 1926 – 8 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until her death in 2022. She was queen regnant of 32 sovereign states during ...

(former Princess Elizabeth of York; 1933) * Prince George, Duke of Kent (1934) *

Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent Princess Marina, Duchess of Kent (27 August 1968), born Princess Marina of Greece and Denmark ( el, Μαρίνα), was a Greek princess by birth and a British princess by marriage. She was a daughter of Prince Nicholas of Greece and Denmark a ...

(1934) * Maria Agathe, Duchess of Ratibor, Princess of Corvey (1899) *

Victor II, Duke of Ratibor , house = Hohenlohe-Schillingsfürst , father =Victor I, Duke of Ratibor , mother = Princess Amélie of Fürstenberg , birth_date = , birth_place =Schloss Rauden, Kingdom of Prussia , death_date = , death_place = ...

(1898) * Princess Egon of Ratibor (born Princess Leopoldine Lobkowicz; 1898) *

Princess Nina Georgievna of Russia Princess Nina Georgievna of Russia, (russian: link=no, Нина Георгиевна) (20 June 1901 – 27 February 1974), was the elder daughter of Grand Duke George Mikhailovich and Grand Duchess Maria Georgievna of Russia. A great-granddaught ...

(March 1915) *

Princess Xenia Georgievna of Russia Princess Xenia Georgievna of Russia (22 August 1903 – 17 September 1965) was the younger daughter of Grand Duke George Mihailovich of Russia and Princess Maria Georgievna of Greece and Denmark. She is known for recognizing Anna Anderson as Gr ...

(1915, 1920) * Margaret Leicester Warren (1928) * Ignaz Wechselmann (1894) * Pauline Morton Sabin (1926) *

Betty Stockfeld Betty Stockfeld (15 January 190527 January 1966), often misspelled "Stockfield", was an Australian film actress. She appeared mostly in British and French films. Betty was the daughter of Sydney businessman Harry Hooper Stockfeld and Susan Eli ...

(1930). Twice: one as

Mary Magdalene Mary Magdalene (sometimes called Mary of Magdala, or simply the Magdalene or the Madeleine) was a woman who, according to the four canonical gospels, traveled with Jesus as one of his followers and was a witness to his crucifixion and resurre ...

, now in Hungarian National Portrait Gallery. * Maharani Indira Devi of Baroda and Cooch Behar

References

External links

* *
de László Catalogue Raisonné website

National Portrait Gallery biographical profile and links to images
retrieved 15 August 2007.

jssgallery.org; accessed 15 August 2007.
Interview with the Hon. Sandra de Laszlo
regarding her grandfather-in-law's work and current appeal; retrieved 15 August 2007.
Royal Society of Portrait Painters' millennium catalogue
accessed 17 October 2014.
Philip de László's interest in Picture Framing
accessed 23 March 2021.
Portrait of Princess Victoria Alexandra Olga Mary of Wales (Oil on Cardboard, 1907)
npg.org.uk; accessed 17 October 2014. {{DEFAULTSORT:Laszlo, Philip de 1869 births 1937 deaths Hungarian people of Jewish descent Hungarian Jews Hungarian painters Catholic painters 20th-century British painters British male painters British portrait painters Members of the Royal Victorian Order Guinness family

Philip Philip, also Phillip, is a male given name, derived from the Greek (''Philippos'', lit. "horse-loving" or "fond of horses"), from a compound of (''philos'', "dear", "loved", "loving") and (''hippos'', "horse"). Prominent Philips who populariz ...

Hungarian emigrants to the United Kingdom Hungarian nobility British people of Hungarian-Jewish descent Artists from Budapest Naturalised citizens of the United Kingdom Hungarian Roman Catholics Converts to Anglicanism from Roman Catholicism Hungarian Anglicans Converts to Roman Catholicism from Judaism Members of the Royal Society of British Artists Olympic competitors in art competitions 20th-century British male artists