Beschreibung:

Essex (William, 1784-1869). The ‘Chandos’ Portrait of William Shakespeare, after John Taylor (died 1651), 1854, oil paint on enamel, inscribed on each corner of the painting from top to bottom, ‘Painted by W. Essex./ London 1854 / from the / Chandos picture.’, in a fine, gilded metal frame with a scrolling acanthus leaf motif in high relief and engraved foliate motif, engraved ‘Enamel W. Essex’, 20.1 x 14.3 cm, resting upon crimson plush velvet within a glazed wooden box frame, with a letter by the artist framed in gilt verso (see note below) and a typewritten auction catalogue description pasted verso: ‘214 Shakespeare (W.) – A Copy of the Chandos Picture of Shakespeare, painted on enamel by W. Essex, signed and dated 1854, in a gilt frame, on a plush mount with glass lid’ and inscribed in pen and blue ink s/14/4/54/dd.’, outer frame 39.5 x 36.5 cm (Quantity: 1) The letter written in pen and ink by the artist verso reads: ‘Enamel portrait of Shakespeare / painted from the Original picture / by Burbage “Shakespeare united / in his soul the utmost depth, of the / most opposite & apparently irreconcilable properties subsist in him peaceably / together. He appears to have all the / flexibility of mind & all the modesty / of Raphael; who also without ever being / an imitator, & becoming unfaithful to his sublime genius, applied to his /own advantage, all the improvements / of his competitors. Dramatic artist / by W.A. Schlegel [August Wilhelm Schlegel] / W. Essex 3 …burgh Street / Regents Park / Enamel painter in Ordinary to Her Majesty & H.R.H. Prince Albert’ This is exquisite rendition of the only portrait of Shakespeare that has a good claim to have been painted from life, thought to be by John Taylor, an important member of the Painter-Stainers' Company. The original Chandos portrait, named after its previous owner, was the first portrait to be acquired by the National Portrait Gallery when it was founded in 1856, and remains there.