New-York tribune., 1872-05-24
SHAKEsPEAREs PORTRAITS.

From The AIdine, May. Is52
We have about as much knowledge in regard
personal appearance have in re-
gard to his personal life. which ia almost at all
There Shakespeare portraits SO called, but
consideration. These the bust the grave in the
church o sratford the Droeshout head prexed TO the
FIRST FOliO and the head known the Cband0s por-
trait If cannot make up our minds from these what
nmr imagination for nothing beside will aid u.s. The
exact time when the Sraford bust was made cannot be
death in lee and 1t was certainly before the publication
OF the collected edition Of his works in 1923. In which 1t
ia mentioned The sculptor n he deserved the name was
one Gerard Johnson Holander who settled In England
where he set up as tombinaker, employlng besides
He s supposed 10 have followed, In making the bust,
cast Of Shakespeare face taken after death. and to
have followed 1t bHndy. He is also supposed to have
injured the by careless chiseling which compelled
s ont Of proporton with the rest OF the face being at
least inches long such 1t was and 49, the Stratford
years Britton the anquary described 1t follows, in
1876 1.-The bust Is OF the size or me- IL formed out or
block OF soft stone and originally painted in
imitation Of nature The hands and face Of flesh
color the eyes OF Light hazel the hair aud beard
auburn the dOubet coat was scarlet, and covered
with loose black gown tabard, without sleeves !;
the upper part Of the cushion was geeD the under part
n SiGna % eetnres Of this important but neglected
or insulted, bust. After remaining In this state
Of Mrs siddons and Mr. Kembe, caused i to be re-
paired and the original coors preserved IN l4S from the
profits of a representation OF Othello This Il gen.
eous and apparently udci0us act and therefore very
mike The next alteration IL was subjected to in In
that year. Mr.. Malone caused the bust 10 be covered
over with coats Of white paint; and thus at
once DESTROYED it's original character and greatly in
iured the expression of the face" There was some
cuse for the abuse which showered upon Malone for
his blunder In whewashing Shakespeare, but. as this
blunder longer exists, IL Is time the abuse ceased.
The been restored TO its last coat OF color
Hahn FTswe assures u.s. and the clerk who shows II
AYERS that with the exception of very little retOuchng.
in the state IN which IL was lett by MI.
Hall the lmner OF StratfOrd.
The DroeshOut portrait is indOrsed by Ben Jonson;
This lgure that thou here see.st put,
II was for gentle Shakespeare cut;
Wherein the Grsyer had strife
With Nature o outdOe the life;
O, could be but have drA@ne his wit
AsRel IN brntse as he hath hit
His face: the pun would then surpsse
Al writ In brAsse,
Bat, be cannot, Reader. locke
Not on bis Picture, but his BOoke.'
The portrat from which DrOeshOut made his etching
never been traced IL s supposed TO represent shakes
This character was that of Old hn0reH, In Jonson's
Every Man In his HumOr" which Shakespeare played
In l59B This, however is conjecture which who
will may believe. The value OF the DroeshOut portrait
lies in the ndorsemen: of JOnsOn that Il was good
likeness OF Shakespeare
The portrait and the bust. whatever we may think 0f
them, authentic. Next comes the Chandos portrait
which Is the one by which Shakespeare Is most widely
known IL In said 10 have been the property Of Taylor
player In Shakespeares own company (whose name
however In the earliest account Of the head Is stated 10
have been john when II was really JOseph and IL In
thought to have been painted by him, by Richard
Burbage, his fellow player who the leading actor of
the time, and the original representative OF all Shakes
former, In his Will. Sir William DaVenant After his
death IL bought by BettertOn the actor upon whose
decease Mr. Kcck Of the Temple purchased II for forty
guineas. from whom 1t was inherod by Mr Nichols OF