During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, this
portrait of an unknown sitter was widely regarded as a defining image of the
world’s greatest playwright, William Shakespeare. While in the collection of
the artist Richard Cosway, it was catalogued as such, and this identification
was further disseminated through an engraving by William Holl Sr., published by
Abraham Wivell in 1827. The image was also copied in miniature by Charlotte
Jones in 1808.

The identification of literary figures in portraiture of
this period is notoriously problematic, as relatively few sitters can be
securely named.[1] One
of the most notable surviving examples is the portrait of John Donne, in the collection
of the National Portrait Gallery, which presents the young writer dressed
informally with his collar open and his arms crossed. This theatrical and
daringly casual approach to portraiture was highly unusual but has since become
recognised as a subgenre of image-making favoured by those who lived and worked
in creative circles. These portraits, of which only a small number survive, can
be broadly characterised by their relatively small scale, expressive poses, and
informal style of dress.

The present portrait may belong to this group and plausibly
depicts a poet. The sitter, shown with his head resting on his hand and gazing
outward, conveys an air of introspection; as one scholar has observed: ‘as
if we are intruding on a private moment of personal reflection, perhaps of a
man who is reflecting upon his love-torn heart.’[2]
This visual expression of sorrow aligns with the Elizabethan notion of
melancholy, associated with intellectual labour and emotional sensitivity.[3]
His informal dress, with the collar open at the neck, reinforces this
impression. While such a mode of presentation would have been unconventional in
a public portrait, it suggests that the work was intended for private
display—perhaps as a gift within a close circle of friends, patrons, or
intimates.

A half-length portrait of the same sitter has recently come
to light, though it has previously been
misidentified as the Welsh pirate Piers Griffith.[4]
This portrait, which was perhaps painted by the same artist as the present
work, shows the sitter in an equally romantic manner, resting nonchalantly on a
ledge with his left hand on the hilt of a sword and his collar wide open. Based
on the existence of these two portraits, the sitter was evidently a man of some
note, and further research into the recently emerged work – the whereabouts of
which is at present unknown – might provide some answers.[5]

[1] For a more comprehensive overview of
literary portraits from this period see ‘Performance and Presence: Portraits of
Playwrights, Actors and Artists’ Tarnya Cooper, (2012) Citizen Portrait:
Portrait Painting and the Urban Elite of Tudor and Jacobean England and Wales.
New Haven and London: Paul Mellon Centre.

[2] Ibid., p. 191.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Illustrated on the front cover of: Glenys
Mair Lloyd, (2015) Piers Griffith: Pirate of Penrhyn by Glenys Mair Lloyd.
Denbigh: Humprey Signs Ltd.

[5] The portrait was sold by Raphael
Valls Limited, London, in the early 2000s. We are grateful to Raphael Valls for
his assistance when researching this work.