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Mid 16th Century English School
Possible Portrait of William Shakespeare

About the Item

Oil on oak panel Image size: 17 1/4 x 22 1/4 inches (44 x 56.5 cm) Period oak frame This is a portrait of a Tudor gentleman in an open next shirt with one hand raised to his chest. There is no portrait in the world that can be proven beyond doubt that it depicts William Shakespeare. However, it is thought that portraits of him did circulate during his lifetime because of a reference to one in the anonymous play Return from Parnassus (c. 1601), in which a character says "O sweet Mr Shakespeare! I'll have his picture in my study at the court." There are various reasons why this portrait may well be of the bard. The underneath flamboyant collar with loose lace ties that is depicted was quite uncommon during Shakespeare's lifetime and was a style that was only worn by creative poets and artists. Furthermore, Shakespeare was left-handed, as it our sitter. The sitter in this artwork bears a good similarity to Shakespeare’s memorial bust and to an engraved likeness included in his published works of 1623. It is also comparable to Shakespeare's death mask as a bump over the left eye and forehead is detectable in both. Notably, all possible portraits of Shakespeare share this curious bulge. Most importantly, the portrait is strikingly similar to the infamous Chandos portrait of Shakespeare, now in the National Portrait Gallery. The Chandos portrait is widely believed to be the only painted portrait of Shakespeare that has a good claim to have been painted from life. This portrait fits perfectly as an overlay of the Chandos portrait and the similarity is striking in that all the facial features are absolutely identical. Once superimposed it becomes clear that both paintings share the same eyes, nostril shape, elongated nasal philtrum and mouth. Despite all of this, it will always remain notoriously difficult to prove that any portrait depicts Shakespeare, if that is in fact possible at all.
  • Creator:
    Mid 16th Century English School (1501 - 1550, English)
  • Dimensions:
    Height: 22.25 in (56.52 cm)Width: 17.25 in (43.82 cm)
  • Medium:
  • Period:
  • Condition:
  • Gallery Location:
    London, GB
  • Reference Number:
    1stDibs: LU52412627152
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