Portraits Clearly Identified As Shakespeare
There are two representations of Shakespeare that are unambiguously identified as him, although both may be posthumous.
- Droeshout portrait. An engraving by Martin Droeshout as frontispiece to the collected works of Shakespeare (the First Folio), printed in 1622 and published in 1623. An introductory poem in the First Folio, by Ben Jonson, implies that it is a very good likeness.
- The bust in Shakespeare's funerary monument, in the choir of Holy Trinity Church, Stratford-on-Avon. This half-length statue on his memorial must have been erected within six years after Shakespeare’s death in 1616. It is believed to have been commissioned by the poet’s son-in-law, Dr John Hall, and must have been seen by Shakespeare's widow Anne. It is believed that the bust was made by the Flemish artist Gerard Johnson.
Read more about this topic: Portraits Of Shakespeare
Famous quotes containing the words portraits, identified and/or shakespeare:
“It is not merely the likeness which is precious ... but the association and the sense of nearness involved in the thing ... the fact of the very shadow of the person lying there fixed forever! It is the very sanctification of portraits I think—and it is not at all monstrous in me to say ... that I would rather have such a memorial of one I dearly loved, than the noblest Artist’s work ever produced.”
—Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806–1861)
“Societies need to have one illness which becomes identified with evil, and attaches blame to its “victims.””
—Susan Sontag (b. 1933)
“Men shut their doors against a setting sun.”
—William Shakespeare (1564–1616)