William Shakespeare's portrait- said to be his only signed and dated image created during his lifetime- has gone on sale for more than 10 million pounds. The portrait has been displayed in London while the owner of the portrait wishes to remain anonymous.
The owner is offering the piece for sale by private treaty without an auction. The portrait is the work of Robert Peake, court painter to King James I, and is signed and dated 1608. It went on display at Grosvenor House hotel in west London.
The portrait prior to 1975 was hung in the library of a stately home in the north of England, once home to the Danby family. Since then it has been in private ownership.
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Only two paintings of Shakespeare, both posthumous, are generally recognised as validly portraying him- one is the engraving that appears on the title page of the First Folio, published in 1623, and the sculpture at his funeral monument in Stratford-upon-Avon.
Art expert Duncan Phillips told the Guardian, “There is more evidence for this portrait of Shakespeare than any other known painting of the playwright. It is a monogrammed and dated work by a portrait painter of serious status with connections to the artist who produced the image for the First Folio. The picture has survived the past 400 years almost untouched by wear and tear thanks to its ownership by a family of Shakespeare enthusiasts who hung it in their library.”
{{/usCountry}}Art expert Duncan Phillips told the Guardian, “There is more evidence for this portrait of Shakespeare than any other known painting of the playwright. It is a monogrammed and dated work by a portrait painter of serious status with connections to the artist who produced the image for the First Folio. The picture has survived the past 400 years almost untouched by wear and tear thanks to its ownership by a family of Shakespeare enthusiasts who hung it in their library.”
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