Chandos portrait
In 1719, George Vertue wrote a note in the margin of a book that changed how historians view this image. He initially wrote Richard Burbridge's name before crossing it out and writing one Taylor instead. This single entry became the foundation for all future debates about who painted the Chandos portrait and whether it truly shows William Shakespeare. The painting itself dates from between 1600 and 1610, placing its creation during Shakespeare's lifetime but leaving no definitive proof of his presence at the easel. John Taylor was described by Vertue as a respected member of the Painter-Stainers' Company and possibly an actor with the Children of Paul's. Katherine Duncan-Jones later suggested that Vertue might have misread Jo: Taylor as John Taylor, pointing to Joseph Taylor, a protégé of the older playwright. No other contemporary record confirms Taylor's identity or his relationship to the Bard. The National Portrait Gallery now considers it certainly fairly likely that the sitter is Shakespeare, yet scholars remain divided on the artist's true identity.
The painting passed through hands that shaped its survival into the modern era. Before the Duke of Chandos acquired it, the portrait belonged to William Davenant, who claimed to be Shakespeare's illegitimate son according to chronicler John Aubrey. George Vertue noted that the work was left to Davenant in Taylor's will before Thomas Betterton purchased it from him. Betterton then sold the piece to Robert Keck, a lawyer known for collecting Shakespeare memorabilia. After Keck died in 1719, the painting went to his daughter and eventually to John Nichol, who married into the Keck family. Margaret Nichol married James Brydges, the 3rd Duke of Chandos, giving the artwork its current name. Richard Temple-Grenville, the 2nd Duke of Buckingham and Chandos, sold the portrait to the Earl of Ellesmere in 1848. Ellesmere donated it to the National Portrait Gallery in London in 1856, making it the first portrait ever acquired by the institution. This chain of ownership spans over two centuries without interruption or loss.
Tarnya Cooper spent three-and-a-half years studying portraits purported to depict Shakespeare at the turn of the 21st century. Her 2006 conclusion identified the Chandos portrait as the most likely representation of the playwright based on specific fashion details. The sitter wears an earring and loose shirt-ties, features emblematic of poets like John Donne and Shakespeare's patron the Earl of Pembroke. Despite these clues, Cooper acknowledges that authenticity cannot be proven beyond doubt. Modern examination reveals significant damage caused by centuries of over-cleaning and retouching. Some areas of the canvas are abraded while others have been slightly altered by restorers. The hair has been extended and the beard appears longer and more pointed than when originally painted. An anonymous copy from 1670 may offer a clearer view of the original facial features before Victorian interventions obscured them.
The image inspired multiple posthumous portraits including one by Gerard Soest and another grander version known as the Chesterfield portrait. These works were probably created in the 1660s or 1670s within living memory of Shakespeare himself. The Chesterfield portrait remains held today by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in Stratford-upon-Avon. Engravings brought the likeness to wider audiences through printed editions of his plays. Gerard Vandergucht engraved the painting for Nicholas Rowe's 1709 edition of Shakespeare's works. Jacobus Houbraken produced another print in 1747 that circulated widely among literary circles. Many 18th century images used this source material as a model for portrayals of the playwright. An anonymous copy made at least as early as 1689 preserves details lost in later restorations. These reproductions ensured the Chandos portrait became the visual standard for generations who never saw the original oil painting.
Scholars have relied on the painting over centuries to offer conflicting views about Shakespeare's ethnicity due to lack of written contemporary descriptions. George Steevens claimed the picture gave Shakespeare the complexion of a Jew or rather that of a chimney sweeper in jaundice. Victorian critics recoiled at the idea that the Chandos portrait represented Shakespeare with dark features and foreign expression. J. Hain Friswell insisted one cannot readily imagine our essentially English Shakespeare to have been a heavy man with a Jewish physiognomy. He described the sitter as having red-edged eyes, wanton lips, and a coarse expression. Sigmund Freud convinced himself that the countenance could not be Anglo-Saxon but must be French based on Ernest Jones' analysis. Some Victorians believed the name was a corruption of Jacques Pierre because the face did not match their expectations of an Englishman. Phrenology and racial biases shaped these interpretations more than any factual evidence from the era itself.
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Common questions
Who painted the Chandos portrait according to George Vertue's notes?
George Vertue initially wrote Richard Burbridge's name before crossing it out and writing Taylor instead. He described John Taylor as a respected member of the Painter-Stainers' Company and possibly an actor with the Children of Paul's.
When was the Chandos portrait acquired by the National Portrait Gallery in London?
The Earl of Ellesmere donated the painting to the National Portrait Gallery in London in 1856. This transaction made the work the first portrait ever acquired by the institution.
What fashion details did Tarnya Cooper identify in the Chandos portrait?
Tarnya Cooper identified that the sitter wears an earring and loose shirt-ties which are features emblematic of poets like John Donne and Shakespeare's patron the Earl of Pembroke. Her 2006 conclusion stated these clues make the Chandos portrait the most likely representation of the playwright.
Which artist engraved the Chandos portrait for Nicholas Rowe's 1709 edition of Shakespeare's works?
Gerard Vandergucht engraved the painting for Nicholas Rowe's 1709 edition of Shakespeare's works. Jacobus Houbraken produced another print in 1747 that circulated widely among literary circles.
Why did Victorian critics reject the appearance of the sitter in the Chandos portrait?
Victorian critics recoiled at the idea that the Chandos portrait represented Shakespeare with dark features and foreign expression because they expected an essentially English man. J. Hain Friswell insisted one cannot readily imagine our essentially English Shakespeare to have been a heavy man with a Jewish physiognomy.