William Shakespeare

William Shakespeare

attributed to John Taylor
oil on canvas, feigned oval, circa 1610
21 3/4 in. x 17 1/4 in. (552 mm x 438 mm)
Given by Francis Egerton, 1st Earl of Ellesmere, 1856
Primary Collection
NPG 1

Sitter

William Shakespeare (1564-1616), Dramatist and poet. Sitter associated with 50 portraits.

Artist

John Taylor (died 1651). Artist associated with 5 portraits.

This Portrait

This is the only portrait of him that has any claim to have been painted from life. It may be by a painter called John Taylor who was an important member of the Painter-Stainers' Company. The portrait is known as the 'Chandos portrait' after a previous owner. It was the first portrait to be acquired by the Gallery in 1856.

Linked Publications

Sound Guide
Tudor Portraits Resource Pack, p. 38
The National Portrait Gallery, 1997, p. 50
Clare Gittings, The National Portrait Gallery Book of Elizabeth I, 2006, p. 29
Cooper, John, Great Britons: The Great Debate, 2002, p. 49
Cooper, John, Visitor's Guide, 2000, p. 26
Cooper, John, A Guide to the National Portrait Gallery, 2009, p. 18
Cooper, Tarnya, Searching for Shakespeare (hardback), 2006 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from 2 March - 29 May 2006), p. 53
Cooper, Tarnya, Searching for Shakespeare, 2006 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from 2 March - 29 May 2006), p. 53
Gittings, Clare, The National Portrait Gallery Book of The Tudors, 2006, p. 26
Hulme, Graham; Buchanan, Brian; Powell, Kenneth, The National Portrait Gallery: An Architectural History, 2000, p. 24
John Cooper, National Portrait Gallery Visitor's Guide, 2006, p. 26
MacLeod, Catharine, Tudor Portraits in the National Portrait Gallery collection, 1996, p. 38
Motion, Andrew, Interrupted Lives in Literature, 2004, p. 16
Nicholl, Charles, Character Sketches: Elizabethan Writers, 1997, p. 12
Nicholl, Charles, Insights: Shakespeare and His Contemporaries, 2005, p. 32
Parris, Matthew, Heroes and Villains: Scarfe at the National Portrait Gallery, 2003 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from 30 September 2003 - 4 April 2004), p. 120
Piper, David, The English Face, 1992, p. 58
Saumarez Smith, Charles, The National Portrait Gallery: an illustrated guide, 2000, p. 51
Saumarez Smith, Charles, The National Portrait Gallery, 1997, p. 50
Saywell, David; Simon, Jacob, Complete Illustrated Catalogue, 2004, p. 558
Simon, Jacob, The Art of the Picture Frame: Artists, Patrons and the Framing of Portraits in Britain, 1997 (accompanying the exhibition at the National Portrait Gallery from 8 November 1996 - 9 February 1997), p. 28

Subject/Theme

Jewellery