Mr. WILSON's PORTRAIT OF SHAKSPEARE. 1 MR. WHELER, in his "Antiquities of Stratford," gives us the following account of a Portrait of Shakspeare, which is in the Great Room of the Town Hall: "The great room, which is 60 feet long and 30 wide, is adorned with several very large and elegant paintings: At the north end is an admirable one by Wilson*, wherein our inimitable poet is represented in the attitude of Inspiration, and sitting in an antique chair; upon the ground lie several books and M. S. S. among the former are distinguished North's Plutarch's Lives, Holingshed's Chronicles, Cynthio's Novals, &c. being some of the authors which Shakspeare consulted; and in the window are the armorial bearings of his family. At the south end is a whole length painting, by Gainsborough, of David Garrick, Esq. reclining against pedestal; upon which is represented a bust of his favourite author. † These paintings were presented to the corporation by Garrick in 1769." I apprehend it was painted by Benjamin Wilson.-A. W. + Painted from the monument in Westminster Abbey.—A. W. Mr. WINSTANLEY's PORTRAIT OF SHAKSPEARE. In the Literary Gazette for February 20th, 1819, Mr. Winstanley addressed the following letter to the editor: "SIR, "Your having, in your last Number, noticed" the simple and beautiful Bust of Shakspeare, recently produced by Mr. Britton," and your subsequent remarks upon the "uncertainty, not to say spuriousness, of all the likenesses of our immortal Bard," induces me to trouble you with this. "I am in possession of a very curious Portrait of Shakspeare, one which I think is wholly unknown to the literary world, except a few friends to whom I have shewn it since it became mine. I am aware that, as you observe "Pictures have been dicovered and asserted to be his Portrait, without any sound pretension to that character." I am aware also of the prejudices against every Picture now offered to the notice of the admirers of Shakspeare. I shall, therefore, merely describe my picture, and shall be very happy to be favoured with any remarks upon it, either from yourself or from any of the numerous readers of your valuable paper. "The picture shews only the head and a small part of the shoulders, the size of life; the dress is black, with a white collar thrown plain over the shoulders, and tied before with a cord and tassels; the portrait is under an arch, in the inside of which run the holly, the ivy, and the misletoe; under the portrait are two laurel leaves, on which are written, in old English character, the following lines: "As Holly, Ivie, Miseltoe defie the wintrye blast Despite of chillinge Envie soe, thy well earned fame shall laste Thy much loved name O Will. Shakspeare. B. I. "A gentleman of this town, whose taste and judgment in works of Art rank with the highest, is of opinion that the portrait is painted by PAUL VANSOMERE; it is in very fine preservation, and has every appearance of having been painted at the time of Shakspeare. I have no pedigree with it, Sir, having purchased it of a dealer, who met with it at a pawnbroker's, and knowing my fondness for Shakspeare, reserved it for me. Possessing a Cast from the late Mr. George Bullock's valuable model of the monument at Stratford, I am enabled to say, that in character as well as feature, my picture is almost in every respect the same. I know, also, that many portraits have been manufactured into Shakspeare, and that very disgraceful use has been made of the style of Ben Jonson, in order to deceive the public; but there is a simplicity of character, with such marks of originality in my picture, that I have no doubt but it will prove highly interesting to the many admirers of our "Gentle Shakspeare." "I am, Sir, your constant reader, "And obedient humble servant, ' Liverpool, 10th Feb, 1819." "THOS. WINSTANLEY." Mr. Zincke is the painter of this portrait, which he readily acknowledges. He bought the picture of a Mr. Piercy; it was then an elderly female, of course it required a deal of brushing up before he could make her into the poet. When finished, he sold it to Mr. Benton, a pawnbroker in Holborn, for four or five pounds: from Mr. B. it went into the hands of Mr. Winstanley's friend; I am not informed of the sum that was given for it, nor is it material. I understand that Mr. Winstanley is an auctioneer, which is one good reason that the sum wanted for it should be four or five hundred pounds, but that is trifling to what some have been valued at. As no flats have been caught by it, we may suppose its fate is decreed, for neither Jonson's lines, Vansomer's name, or even that of Shakspeare, has had any effect to realize one offer. Really if a man is so weak as to give publicity as to his belief of the genuineness of such a picture (for I understand it is bad), he cannot expect it to be otherwise than knocked down without a bidding. This picture has been engraved in mere outline, with the lines under it as above, with some trifling difference in the spelling. H. C. JENNINGS's MINIATURE OF SHAKSPEARE. In the month of February, 1827, Mr. Christie sold, at his room, in King Street, a miniature of Shakspeare, painted in oil; it is in a concaved enamelled locket of D D gold; had formerly been ornamented with jewels, and belonged to the late H. Constantine Jennings, of Battersea, who at last parted with it reluctantly together with a missel, by Julio Clovis, to Mr. Webb for the. loan of six or seven hundred pounds. It was lately in the possession of Mr. Wise, of Long Acre, and is now the property of Charles Auriol, Esq. of Park Street, Grosvenor Square, It has been said, that Mr. Jennings had traced this miniature to the Southampton Family, if So, it is to be regretted that we have no document to that effect, as it must tend to depreciate its value, as is proved by the sum given for it by Mr. Auriol, which was no more than nine guineas and a half. That the picture is intended for the poet, and of antiquity, I have no doubt; it is the one which most resembles the miniature in the family of the late Sir James Bland Burges; one material difference is, that the hair and beard are brown. On the background is painted E, 33, which, if Shakspeare, must have been painted in 1597, the year that the Felton picture is also dated; and unless the dress be theatrical, I cannot suppose that the poet would be dressed in white, having, in the latter part of the preceding year, lost his only son. There is also some resemblance in it to the Felton picture, about the nose and eyes, but it has got an expansion of forehead, which the Felton has not. I have not been able to ascertain that it was ever engraved. |