Philip Alexius de László (1869-1937)

On 12 June 1888 Alice (known as Birdie; 1862-1945), daughter of James Mankiewicz of London, married Sir Julius Charles Wernher (1850-1912), a German mining magnate and philanthropist. In 1903 Sir Julius bought Luton Hoo, an estate in Bedfordshire, and at his London residence, Bath House, 82 Piccadilly, indulged a lifelong taste for art and formed a fine collection of pictures, principally of the Renaissance period. One of the best pictures in Sir Julius's collection, Watteau's Le gage d'amour, was left in his will to the National Gallery of London. Much of the wealth accrued through his successful mining interests in South Africa was donated during his lifetime, but at his death in 1912 he still left an estate of £11.5 million. Recipients of his generosity included a number of charitable organisations both in London and South Africa, and he gave a substantial sum to the Union of South Africa which led to the foundation of the University of Cape Town.

De László first painted our sitter in 1916 as Lady Wernher. The present portrait was painted in 1924 after Lady Wernher had married Henry Ludlow Lopes, 2nd Baron Ludlow of Heywood (1865-1922), a barrister and politician, in September 1919.

We are grateful to Katherine Field for writing the catalogue entry for this portrait, which will be included in the Philip de László catalogue raisonné, currently presented in progress online: www.delaszlocatalogueraisonne.com