An Unknown Gentleman
manner of Sir Anthony Van Dyck (Antwerp 1599 - London 1641)
Category
Art / Oil paintings
Date
1625 - 1700
Materials
Oil on canvas (oval)
Measurements
1181 x 940 mm (46 1/2 x 37 in)
Place of origin
England
Order this imageCollection
Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire
NT 108762
Summary
Oil painting on canvas (oval), An Unknown Gentleman, in the manner of Sir Anthony Van Dyck (Antwerp 1599 - London 1641), inscribed, left centre: Wm. Shakespeare. A half-length portrait of a young man, turned slightly to left, gazing at spectator, wearing black dress and white soft collar; right hand, fingers spread, holding cloak at breast. The desire to have a likeness of England's greatest writer made collectors gullible to the point of accepting every kind of absurdity. This portrait is patently from the life; yet Shakespeare died in 1616, and Van Dyck did not come to England for the first time till 1620.
Provenance
Recorded in library in1789; put up for sale at Christie’s 18 July 1930, lot 118, bought in; bought with part of the contents of Kedleston Hall with the aid of the National Heritage Memorial Fund in 1987 when the house and park were given to the National Trust by Francis Curzon, 3rd Viscount Scarsdale (1924-2000) Curzon Collection acquired by gift as part of the transfer of Kedleston Hall to The National Trust in 1986.
Credit line
Kedleston Hall, The Scarsdale Collection (acquired with the help of the National Heritage Memorial Fund and transferred to the National Trust in 1987)
Marks and inscriptions
Recto: Wm Shakespear Verso: Inscribed on stretcher: Christie’s stencil 751FE Verso: Inscription scrawled in chalk: July 18.30/118
Makers and roles
manner of Sir Anthony Van Dyck (Antwerp 1599 - London 1641), artist previously catalogued as manner of William Dobson (bap. London 1611 - London 1646), artist