Who engraved the Droeshout portrait of Shakespeare in 1623?
Martin Droeshout engraved the frontispiece for the title page of the First Folio. The signature under the image reads Martin Droeshout sculpsit London.
Questions about Droeshout portrait
Short answers, pulled from the story.
When was the Droeshout plate used to print copies of Shakespeare's plays?
The original plate remained in use up to the Fourth Folio of 1685 before it disappeared entirely. Later copies printed by Thomas Cotes in 1632 for Robert Allot's Second Folio also used the plate.
Which Martin Droeshout created the famous Shakespeare portrait?
Most sources identify the younger Martin as the artist born around 1601. Research by Mary Edmond revealed new details about the elder Martin who lived until 1642, but stylistic grounds support the attribution to the younger artist.
What is the origin of the Flower portrait linked to the Droeshout engraving?
A painting discovered in the 19th century became known as the Flower portrait and bore the date 1609. Chemical analysis proved the portrait to be a 19th-century fake painted over an authentic 17th-century image in 2005.
Who claimed the Droeshout portrait contains hidden signs pointing to Francis Bacon?
William Stone Booth published a book in 1911 claiming features were anatomically identical to those of Francis Bacon. He achieved this by creating combination images from several portraits of Bacon.