News release: 20 January 2011
Shakespeare found again: lost copy of the ‘Cobbe Portrait’
strengthens the case for the life portrait of William Shakespeare
Shakespeare Birthplace Trust to unveil portrait in New York
The Changing Face of William Shakespeare
at the Morgan Library & Museum, New York
4 Feb – 1 May 2011
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, the charity which promotes and cares for
Shakespeare’s heritage, has acquired the lost copy of the painting with claims to be
the only surviving contemporary likeness of William Shakespeare. The Shakespeare
Birthplace Trust portrait yields fresh evidence that the prime version, the Cobbe
portrait that attracted international attention and debate when it was unveiled in 2009,
is an authentic image of the playwright. The new-found Shakespeare Birthplace Trust
copy and the Cobbe Portrait will be shown in the USA for the first time in a new
exhibition at the Morgan Library & Museum entitled The Changing Face of William
Shakespeare (4 Feb – 1 May 2011).
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust portrait had not been seen since it was sold in 1947
from the collection of the 1st Earl of Ellenborough (1790-1871). It came to light again
in Madrid in 2009, when it was offered for sale by an art dealer. It was acquired
privately by the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and has undergone extensive analysis
and investigation as well as being cleaned and restored.
The picture, despite the fact that it is painted with a full head of hair, has an
independent and long-standing historical identification as Shakespeare. Until now,
only bald-state versions of the picture had historical identifications as Shakespeare.
The analysis of the newly found portrait validates the Shakespeare traditions of the
other extant copies with hair.
The Cobbe portrait was originally painted with receding hair, but was altered at an
early date by another painter to extend the hair. X-ray and infra-red examination of
the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust portrait show that painting commenced before
alterations were made to the hairline in the Cobbe Portrait, but then was continued
and completed to include the same alterations. This suggests that it was copied
directly from the Cobbe portrait while the latter was in the process of being altered,
almost certainly in the same studio. It is therefore probably the earliest of the several
17th-century copies of the Cobbe portrait extant. Tree ring dating further confirms
that it is a near contemporary copy of the Cobbe, which was painted around 1610.
The alteration to the Cobbe portrait is likely to have been commissioned by its owner,
believed to be the 3rd Earl of Southampton, who was Shakespeare’s only known
literary patron. It would not be unusual for a rich patron with several houses to want
copies of portraits, so it is possible that Southampton also commissioned the
Shakespeare Birthplace copy. Southampton’s direct descendant, Jane Digby, was the
wife of the Earl of Ellenborough, in whose collection the picture was inventoried in
1878.
Stanley Wells, Chairman of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust and leading
Shakespeare expert, said, “The discovery of this long lost copy is an important piece
in the jigsaw of research that reinforces our proposition that the Cobbe portrait could
be the only known life portrait of William Shakespeare. We are delighted that the
exhibition at the Morgan Library and Museum will afford visitors the opportunity to
see the two pictures together for the first time, alongside other rarely seen portraits.
The exhibition is sure to fuel the continuing debate and intrigue about the likeness of
Shakespeare.”
In addition to the Cobbe portrait and the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust portrait, The
Changing Face of William Shakespeare exhibition will also include the recently
identified sixteenth century portrait of Shakespeare’s patron, Henry Wriothesley, the
3rd Earl of Southampton, also being presented in the USA for the first time. Also on
view will be two additional portraits of the playwright, including one acquired by
Pierpont Morgan in 1910, an original copy of the 1623 First Folio, and a copy of
Shakespeare’s 1593 poem Venus and Adonis, dedicated to the Earl.
Dr Diana Owen, Director of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust said, “There has been a
long connection between Shakespeare in Stratford and the United States and visitors
from America are still the largest group of overseas visitors to Shakespeare’s
birthplace in Stratford. We are delighted therefore to be able to work with the Morgan
Library on this exhibition and to share these portraits and their fascinating story with
our many friends and supporters in the United States.”
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust portrait will be exhibited in Stratford upon Avon
following the Morgan Library & Museum exhibition.
A revised edition of the book about the discovery of the portraits and their
connections has been published to coincide with The Changing Face of William
Shakespeare exhibition. Shakespeare Found! A Life Portrait at Last – Portraits,
Poet, Patron, Poems, edited by Stanley Wells, is published by the Cobbe Foundation
in association with the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, priced £30.
Ends. Notes follow/…
Notes to editors:
Press information and interview requests:
Lynn Beddoe
PR Manager
Shakespeare Birthplace Trust
T: +44 (0) 1789 207134
M: +44 (0) 7887 661770
E: lynn.beddoe@shakespeare.org.uk
Spokespeople available for interview:
Prof Stanley Wells,. Chairman
Dr Diana Owen, Director
Dr Paul Edmondson, Head of Learning & Research
These senior executives of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust will be available for
interview in New York from 2-5 February
Morgan Library & Museum press information:
Patrick J. Milliman
Director, Communications & Marketing
TEL: 212.590.0310
FAX: 212.768.5612
NET: pmilliman@themorgan.org
Sandra Ho
Media Relations Manager
TEL: 212-590-0311
FAX: 212-768-5612
NET: sho@themorgan.org
Images show:
1. William Shakespeare (‘THE SHAKESPEARE BIRTHPLACE TRUST COPY’),
oil on panel, 22 x 16 ½ in (55.8 x 41.9 cm), probably c 1610-20 (collection of the
Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Stratford-upon-Avon; ex-collection of the Earl of
Ellenborough)
2. William Shakespeare (‘THE COBBE PORTRAIT’), unknown artist, oil on panel,
21 ¼ x 14 ¾ in. (53.9 x 37.5 cm), c 1610 (Cobbe Collection)
About The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust
The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust was formed in 1847 following the purchase of the
house in which Shakespeare was born, on Henley Street in Stratford-upon-Avon. It is
the only charity that promotes and cares for Shakespeare’s heritage, operating almost
entirely from visitor admission revenue. The Trust owns and cares for five houses
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associated with William Shakespeare, each of which gives visitors an insight into life
and society in Shakespeare’s time. The five Shakespeare Houses include
Shakespeare’s Birthplace, Nash’s House & New Place, and Hall’s Croft in the town
itself and Anne Hathaway’s Cottage and Mary Arden’s Farm on the outskirts of
Stratford. Approximately 750,000 people visited the houses in 2010.
The Trust also holds the largest Shakespeare-related archive in Europe and provides a
wealth of educational resources and programmes.
About American Friends of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust
American Friends of The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Inc. aims to promote,
encourage and foster understanding and appreciation by the American public the
plays and poetry of William Shakespeare. It enables students (high school,
undergraduate and graduate levels) to study on-site at the Shakespeare Centre,
Stratford-upon-Avon, United Kingdom for interpretive programs. It develops
educational and artistic initiatives in collaboration with the Shakespeare Birthplace
Trust, in Stratford-upon-Avon, UK, and assists the Trust in the preservation of the
Shakespeare Houses & Gardens and the acquisition of artwork, rare books, and
objects.
American Friends of The Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, Inc. is a tax-exempt, not-forprofit organization that was incorporated in Delaware on September 14, 1999. The
Internal Revenue Service recognizes the organization as tax-exempt under section 501
(c) (3) as a public charity described in section 509 (a) (1) of the Internal Revenue
Code of 1986.
mailto:info@americanfriendsofsbt.org
About The Morgan Library & Museum
The Morgan Library & Museum began as the private library of financier Pierpont
Morgan, one of the preeminent collectors and cultural benefactors in the United
States. Today, more than a century after its founding in 1906, the Morgan serves as a
museum, independent research library, musical venue, architectural landmark, and
historic site. In October 2010, the Morgan completed the first-ever restoration of its
original McKim building, Pierpont Morgan’s private library, and the core of the
institution. In tandem with the 2006 expansion project by architect Renzo Piano, the
Morgan now provides visitors unprecedented access to its world-renowned collections
of drawings, literary and historical manuscripts, musical scores, medieval and
Renaissance manuscripts, printed books, and ancient Near Eastern seals and tablets.
General Information
The Morgan Library & Museum
225 Madison Avenue, at 36th Street, New York, NY 10016-3405
212.685.0008
www.themorgan.org
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Hours
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Saturday, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.; Sunday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.; closed Mondays,
Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. The Morgan closes at 4
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Admission
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Members and children, 12 and under accompanied by an adult. Admission is free on
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