# Philip Alexius de Laszlo artist context and auction value notes

Canonical page: https://appraisily.com/artist/philip-alexius-de-laszlo/
Profile generated: 2026-05-30T01:12:00.000Z
Quality: high confidence, strong sources

## Artist identity

- Birth date: 1869-04-28
- Death date: 1937-11-22
- Nationality: Hungarian, British
- Movements: Edwardian portraiture
- Common media: oil on canvas

## About Philip Alexius de Laszlo

Philip Alexius de László (1869–1937) was a Hungarian-born portrait painter who became one of the most celebrated court painters of the early twentieth century. Born Fülöp Elek László de Lombos in Budapest, he studied in Munich and Paris before establishing himself across Europe's royal courts. His sitters included monarchs, statesmen, aristocrats, and leading figures of Edwardian and interwar society. De László became a British subject in 1914, having married the Anglo-Irish socialite Lucy Guinness in 1900. His talent was recognised with the Royal Victorian Order, awarded by Edward VII in 1909, and he was ennobled by Franz Joseph I of Austria in 1912. His work is held in major public collections including the Tate, and his prolific output of royal and society portraits ensures his paintings appear regularly on the art market.

## Common works and media

The majority of de László's works are oil portraits on canvas, ranging from small head-and-shoulder compositions to full-length state portraits. Common subjects include royalty (British, European, and beyond), aristocratic families, military officers, politicians, and society women. He also produced landscape sketches and informal domestic scenes, though these are less frequently encountered at auction. Works are typically signed and dated, and many carry studio stamps or inscriptions on the reverse. Print reproductions of his most famous portraits were widely distributed in his lifetime.

## Market and appraisal context

De László portraits surface frequently at auction, reflecting the sheer volume of his output over a career spanning four decades. The identity and prominence of the sitter is often the single strongest value driver—portraits of named royals, heads of state, or well-known society figures typically outperform anonymous or unidentified sitters. Full-length oil portraits on canvas tend to be more sought after than smaller head studies. Provenance that traces directly back to the sitter's family or a notable collection adds measurable value. Collectors should be aware that his workshop practices and the existence of versions and copies mean that careful attribution, ideally cross-referenced with the de László Catalogue Raisonné, is essential before committing to a purchase.

## Appraisily data basis

Appraisily artist pages combine structured artist identity research from museum, library authority, and scholarly sources with public auction records, auction-house context, sale dates, realized prices, and comparable lots. For Philip Alexius de László, identity data is grounded in records from the RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History, the Getty ULAN authority file, VIAF, the Tate collection, and Wikidata.

## Sources

- RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/48213
- Wikidata: https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q704208
- Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_de_L%C3%A1szl%C3%B3
- Getty Vocabulary Program: https://vocab.getty.edu/page/ulan/500023836
- VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/15508935/
- Tate: https://www.tate.org.uk/art/artists/philip-alexius-de-laszlo-1469
- RKD Netherlands Institute for Art History: https://rkd.nl/en/explore/artists/123453