Lot 12: William Shakespeare (1564-1616), the playwright and poet, wearing black doublet, white chemise and gold hoop earing

William Shakespeare (1564-1616), the playwright and poet, wearing black doublet, white chemise and gold hoop earing. Enamel, gilt-metal frame. Oval, 37mm (1 7/16in) high

The present lot is a copy after the famous 'Chandos' portrait of c.1600-1610, which is the only portrait of William Shakespeare with any claim to having been painted from life. The author may have been John Taylor who was an important member of the Painter-Stainers' Company. The Chandos portrait is named after its former owners, the Dukes of Chandos. Upon its foundation in 1856 by Francis Egerton, 1st Earl of Ellesmere, the National Portrait Gallery in London received the Chandos portrait as its first formal bequest and the work is thus listed as the first portrait in the gallery's inventory (inv.no. NPG 1).