Description: Unknown artist, English School, early 17th century. Oil on canvas, 470 x 385 mm. Half-length, wearing a black doublet and white ruff. Plain weave canvas with a plain weave lining, backing inscribed in black ink “Wm. Shakespeare, A.D. 1610” crossed out with same black ink. Red wax seal on back; black stenciled Christie’s number (DW 549) on the top stretcher bar.

Provenance: The portrait was sold part of a Sotheby’s sale of paintings owned by the Elphinstone family dating back to the 16th century. Given the long-standing close associations between this Scottish family and the Johnstoune family to which Ben Jonson belonged, some scholars have speculated that William Johnstoune (who flourished in the 1650s), one of the earliest traceable owners of the Shakespeare First Folio (now at Meisei University in Tokyo), may have been an early owner of this portrait of Shakespeare as well.

Cleaning and Restoration: Sophia Plender (UK Institute of Conservation) removed considerable surface dirt and discolored layers of varnish revealing that the top of the head had been overpainted to appear bald and the removal of the overpaint revealed the original paint with more hair. Cleaning revealed that the paint in the face, hair, beard, and collar was abraded; the abrasion had exposed vertical lines of canvas weave texture. The painted black lines in the fabric of the black costume were also revealed. 

Paint sample analysis undertaken by Libby Sheldon, History of Art Department, University College, London, revealed that the green in the background was painted with a mixture of Prussian Blue, first manufactured in 1704, and Patent Yellow, patented in 1718. Infrared reflectography revealed asymmetrical spandrels at the upper corners and several old filled paint losses in the original canvas, including a long crease line across the upper left, which explains the presence of the later green overpaint. The painting evidently suffered abrasion, damage, and neglect before the overpaint was applied.

The restoration of the portrait was the subject of a report on the national CBS Evening News in April 2006.