His Holiness Pope Leo XIII

Philip de László painted Pope Leo XIII in 1900, a commission that represented one of the most prestigious portrait opportunities in European Catholic culture. Leo XIII, who reigned from 1878 to 1903, was one of the longest-serving popes of the modern era and a figure of great intellectual authority — the author of the encyclical Rerum Novarum and an important voice in Catholic social thought. De László's access to the Vatican for this commission was itself remarkable and reflected the international reputation he had already built by 1900. The Hungarian National Gallery's acquisition of this significant work underlines de László's status as a source of national pride in Hungary.

The papal portrait demanded a specific iconographic programme — white vestments, the specifics of liturgical dress, the architectural setting of the Vatican. De László renders the aged pope's features with respectful precision, using the contrast between the bright white of the cassock and the dark background to give the figure luminous presence.