Philip de László (Hungarian, 1869-1937)
A portrait of Mrs Abraham Koshland, née Estelle Wangenheim
signed and inscribed 'de Laszlo / PARIS' (lower right)
oil on canvas
34 1/2 x 27 1/4in (87.6 x 69.2cm)
Painted in 1928.
Footnotes:
Provenance
Acquired directly from the artist and thence by descent to the present owner.

De László received this commission through the Doll and Richards Gallery, Boston, which held an exhibition of the artist's work in October 1925. Sittings for the present portrait occurred during her visit to Paris in late April and early May 1928.

Mrs. Koshland wrote to de László to tell him of the portrait's reception at Longacre, their country home in Beverly, Massachusetts: 'At long last, the portrait has arrived and is hung in our living room here in the country and we are enjoying it as much as I hoped we would. Everybody who has seen it, my family and friends, are full of enthusiasm for the lovely quality of your painting and the striking likeness, so once again I thank you! I look back often to our pleasant sittings and our 'causerie' and I am hoping when I am in England in February that we will renew our pleasant acquaintance and I so much want to know Mrs de Laszlo. She was so gracious to us when we made that preposterously early morning call.'

The present work is included in the Catalogue Raisonné of Works by Philip de László (1869-1937) www.delaszlocatalogueraisonne.com

Original canvas. The painting has been selectively cleaned. Under UV, there is an area of restoration on the lady's chest. Some of the pigments flouresce under UV but this appears to be the nature of the pigments used and not due to restoration.