Sanders portrait

Last updated

Sanders portrait
Sanders portrait2.jpg
Year1603
TypeOil on oak wood panel
Dimensions42 cm× 33 cm(15+12 in× 13 in)
LocationPrivate ownership, Ottawa, ON

The Sanders portrait is reputed to be one of the few images of William Shakespeare done in his lifetime. It features a middle-aged man wearing a black doublet with silver ornamentation. It also has a label affixed to the back which reads:

Contents

Shakspere[ sic ]
Born April 23=1564
Died April 23-1616
Aged 52
This Likeness taken 1603
Age at that time 39 ys [1]

This label was transcribed in 1909 by Marion Henry Spielmann; today, the original text is not legible.

The Sanders portrait is one of the most researched portraits claimed to depict William Shakespeare (1564–1616). It is named for the man that owned (and perhaps painted) the portrait, John Sanders, whose family has owned the portrait for over 400 years – including a transatlantic voyage that resulted in its presence in Canada.

The portrait’s authenticity as a true likeness of Shakespeare continues to be questioned by critics though supporters point to scientific tests, genealogical research, and historical contexts which date this portrait not only to Shakespeare’s lifetime, but place it as originally painted and owned by a family who lived in the same neighbourhood as William Shakespeare and would have had connections through guild membership with the playwright. [2] The portrait’s presence in Canada, its currently being in the private sphere, and its limited budget for more research and publicity are all factors in the lack of attention shown to the portrait.

Partnering with current owner, Lloyd Sullivan, recent research from the Canadian Adaptations of Shakespeare Project (CASP) [3] at the University of Guelph, has sought to return the portrait to the public eye and establish it as the only true likeness of Shakespeare painted in his lifetime.

Genealogy and the Sanders family

Extensive genealogical research has been undertaken by CASP researchers and Warwickshire and Worcestershire family historian Pamela Hinks to confirm the oral history of the Sanders family provided by Lloyd Sullivan, owner of the portrait from 1972 until his death in 2019. [4] This research suggests that the Sanders Portrait is the only likeness of Shakespeare which traces back directly to Shakespeare's lifetime.[ citation needed ]

The family of Lloyd Sullivan was traced back directly to one John Sanders, Sullivan’s ten times removed great-grandfather (thirteen generations before Sullivan). [2] Proponents of the painting suggest that either John Sanders or his brother William painted the portrait of Shakespeare in 1603, [5] when the family was living close to Shakespeare’s home in London, a house owned by Christopher and Mary Mountjoy on the corner of Silver Street and Monkwell Street (a. k. a. Muggle Street), in Cripplegate. [2]

The Sanders family and Shakespeare moved in circles that would have encouraged contact between the two: both families were intermarried with the Thockmorton, Catesby, and Arden families. [2] For instance, in 1592, Phillipi Sanders (a brother of John Sanders) married Anna Heminges, a cousin of John Heminges – one of Shakespeare's closest associates. Likewise, in 1613, a Joccossa Sanders married John Heminges's cousin Thomas Heminges. [2]

An oral tradition, documented in Stephanie Nolen's Shakespeare's Face (2002), holds that for 400 years the portrait was passed down in the family while knowledge of its existence remained private. [6] Its ownership can be verified back as far as 1909 when M. H. Spielmann studied the painting at which time it was in the possession of T. Hale Sanders, who had taken ownership of it from his uncle through his father. [1] Thomas (T.) Hale Sanders is the great grandfather of Lloyd Sullivan. [7] In early 1919 Agnes Hales Sanders, grandmother of Lloyd Sullivan, travelled from Montreal to London to reclaim the Sanders Portrait. [7] Since then it has been held in Montreal and Ottawa.[ citation needed ]

The portrait's existence was made public in May 2001 by Lloyd Sullivan.[ citation needed ] Since then has undergone multiple tests and been shown in art galleries, including the National Portrait Gallery in London.[ citation needed ]

Sanders, Shakespeare, and Canada

Battle of Wills

A 2008 documentary by Anne Henderson sought to tell the story of the Canadian-owned portrait of Shakespeare. [8] The film both highlighted some of the technical and financial difficulties of caring for the painting, and showcased the controversy that surrounds the Sanders Portrait and other portraits claiming to be life likenesses of William Shakespeare. Interviews with descendants of the Sanders family; researchers Marie-Claude Corbeil, Daniel Fischlin and Pamela Hinks; actors Joseph Fiennes and Michael Pennington; as well as art experts Lily Koltun, David Loch, and Philip Mould offer an interdisciplinary inside look at the Shakespeare Portrait debates. [9]

As of November 2013 a second part of the documentary is in the works.

"Look here upon this picture:" A Symposium on the Sanders Portrait of Shakespeare

On 28 November 2013 all of the current information on the Sanders Portrait was made public by researchers from the University of Guelph and supplemented by discussions of the scientific studies done, the internal evidence (that is, a reading of the clothing of the sitter, the status of the sitter, the date on the portrait, and the artistic style), and a discussion of the media and cultural importance of the portrait. [10] The day sought to renew interest in the portrait, establish it as the only portrait thought to be done in Shakespeare’s own lifetime, and to act as catalyst in a sale that would move the portrait from private to public domain. [2] [11]

The Oxford University Press – Shakespeare Made in Canada Series

The Sanders Portrait has become the face of new editions of Shakespeare’s plays targeted as teaching tools for Canadian high school and undergraduate students. [12] Oxford University Press commissioned the texts, which have been curated by General Editor Daniel Fischlin to provide a uniquely Canadian perspective on the works. [13]

Editions of The Tempest and Romeo and Juliet were released in November 2013, while new editions of Hamlet and A Midsummer Night’s Dream are in progress. All the plays feature the Sanders Portrait on the front cover and a brief summary of the portrait's provenance and research inside. [13]

Scientific testing

In all, thirteen tests have been done over a fifteen-year period on the Sanders Portrait, more than any other reputed portrait of Shakespeare, [2] performed by researchers across Canada and the world. These tests include:

Dendrochronology

Conducted by Dr. Peter Klein of the University of Hamburg, Germany in 1994. Using tree-ring dating, Dr. Klein determined that the oak panel was from the Baltic Region and that the earliest possible date of the painting was 1597. [14]

Radiography

Conducted by Dr. Marie-Claude Corbeil, Senior Scientist at the Analytical Research Lab of the Canadian Conservation Institute (CCI), in order to determine that the likeness of Shakespeare was the first and only painting on the oak panel. The radiograph concluded there was not any other painting beneath the Sanders Portrait. [14]

Infrared and ultraviolet radiation

Conducted by Dr. Corbeil of CCI to determine if there had been any retouching of the paint after it was finished. The result was that no retouching had occurred. [14]

Paint samples

Conducted by Dr. Corbeil of CCI to determine that the paint and materials used were appropriate to the date of 1603. While this cannot definitively date the paint used, it can determine if the materials are too new. The results found that all of the paint materials and colours were consistent with those used in England in the early 17th century. [14] The red paint of the date in the top corner was tested in the paint sample analysis and does not appear to be added after the portrait was finished. [14]

The label

The label has been the source of much controversy. Many claim that the wording on the label "This Likeness taken" is not consistent with 17th century practices. Others argue that the birthdate of Shakespeare (23 April) was an 18th century mistake and not to be trusted. However, scientific tests have proven that this date was, most probably, written in the 17th century and could definitively prove 23 April as Shakespeare’s date of birth.

Label analysis

Conducted by Dr. Corbeil of CCI which determined the label was made of rag paper from linen fibers, a product often used in the 17th century and predates pulp paper. [14]

Glue

The glue used to affix the label was tested by Dr. Corbeil of CCI and determined to be a starch paste. [14]

Radiocarbon dating of the paper

A sample of the rag paper label was sent to Roelf Beukens at the IsoTrace Laboratory associated with the University of Toronto. The radiocarbon dating concluded that the rag paper could date between 1475 and 1640. [14] Dr. Marie Claude Corbeil suggests that the label was probably affixed within a few decades of Shakespeare’s death in 1616. [2]

Ink

The analytical laboratory McCrone Associates Inc. in Chicago, Illinois conducted forensic ink tests on the label and concluded the following.: [2]

  • The materials used in the ink are consistent with the 17th century ink manufacturing practices
  • A quill pen was used
  • The ink is well-integrated into the paper fibres of the label, in the same manner as iron gall ink, which was used in the 17th century
  • No dyes, binding mediums, or other alterations suggest any recent additions or changes to the ink on the label

Internal evidence

Lloyd DeWitt

Curator of European Art at the Art Gallery of Ontario, DeWitt examined the portrait’s style and oak panels, and determined them consistent with Elizabethan English Portraits. DeWitt also believes the Sanders to be a "friendship portrait," painted by someone who knew the sitter. DeWitt also concluded that the construction of the oak panel is, in all likelihood, English. [2]

Jenny Tiramani

The former director of theatre design at the Globe Theatre and expert on Elizabethan and Jacobean dress inspected the clothing and hairstyles of the sitter in the Sanders Portrait and compared it with the biographical knowledge we have of William Shakespeare and his life in 1603 (when the picture was painted). Tiramani concluded:

Controversy

The authenticity of the Sanders Portrait has not been widely accepted by scholars. As Adam Gopnik has written in The New Yorker, "...the portrait has, to its doubters, one overwhelming problem: it does not look much like Shakespeare." Gopnik goes on to describe how the Sanders Portrait does not seem to resemble the Droeshout portrait or the Shakespeare funerary bust at Stratford-upon-Avon, both of which resemble each other, and are accepted by scholars as having been contemporary likenesses of Shakespeare. Gopnik does, however, refer to a comparison of the Sanders and Droeshout portraits that found 16 facial points in common, including the attached earlobe. [16]

The image has often been overlooked by scholars, with a host of subjective excuses, including that the man depicted seems too young; or that the birth date given is, or has been, used speculatively, and only after the 18th century. [17] The label and its ink, however, has been tested and dated to within Shakespeare's life or shortly thereafter and could prove to be a final piece of evidence necessary to commit to 23 April as Shakespeare's date of birth and death.

Ownership

In December 2013 it was announced that a tentative deal was in the works for an unnamed Canadian family to purchase the portrait. [18] The family is reported to be excited to keep the portrait in the Canadian public domain and is expected to donate the portrait to a public arts institution. [19] [20]

After Lloyd Sullivan's death in 2019, guardianship of the portrait passed to his nephew James Hale-Sanders. [4]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hans Holbein the Younger</span> German artist and printmaker

Hans Holbein the Younger was a German-Swiss painter and printmaker who worked in a Northern Renaissance style, and is considered one of the greatest portraitists of the 16th century. He also produced religious art, satire, and Reformation propaganda, and he made a significant contribution to the history of book design. He is called "the Younger" to distinguish him from his father Hans Holbein the Elder, an accomplished painter of the Late Gothic school.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ashmolean Museum</span> University Museum of Art and Archaeology in Oxford, England

The Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology on Beaumont Street, Oxford, England, is Britain's first public museum. Its first building was erected in 1678–1683 to house the cabinet of curiosities that Elias Ashmole gave to the University of Oxford in 1677. It is also the world's second university museum, after the establishment of the Kunstmuseum Basel in 1661 by the University of Basel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Elaine de Kooning</span> American expressionist painter (1918–1988)

Elaine Marie Catherine de Kooning was an Abstract Expressionist and Figurative Expressionist painter in the post-World War II era. She wrote extensively on the art of the period and was an editorial associate for Art News magazine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chandos portrait</span> 17th-century portrait believed to be of William Shakespeare

The Chandos portrait is the most famous of the portraits that are believed to depict William Shakespeare (1564–1616). Painted between 1600 and 1610, it may have served as the basis for the engraved portrait of Shakespeare used in the First Folio in 1623. It is named after the 3rd Duke of Chandos, who formerly owned the painting. The portrait was given to the National Portrait Gallery, London, on its foundation in 1856, and it is listed as the first work in its collection.

<i>Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione</i> Painting by Raphael

Portrait of Baldassare Castiglione is a c. 1514–1515 oil painting attributed to the Italian High Renaissance painter Raphael. Considered one of the great portraits of the Renaissance, it has an enduring influence. It depicts Raphael's friend, the diplomat and humanist Baldassare Castiglione, who is considered a quintessential example of the High Renaissance gentleman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portrait painting</span> Genre in painting, where the intent is to depict a specific human subject

Portrait painting is a genre in painting, where the intent is to represent a specific human subject. The term 'portrait painting' can also describe the actual painted portrait. Portraitists may create their work by commission, for public and private persons, or they may be inspired by admiration or affection for the subject. Portraits often serve as important state and family records, as well as remembrances.

<i>Flower portrait</i> Portrait of William Shakespeare

The Flower portrait is the name of one of the painted portraits of William Shakespeare. A 2005 investigation of the portrait led to the conclusion that it was a forged artwork painted in the 19th century.

<i>Campbells Soup Cans</i> 1962 artwork by Andy Warhol

Campbell's Soup Cans is a work of art produced between November 1961 and June 1962 by American artist Andy Warhol. It consists of thirty-two canvases, each measuring 20 inches (51 cm) in height × 16 inches (41 cm) in width and each consisting of a painting of a Campbell's Soup can—one of each of the canned soup varieties the company offered at the time. The works were Warhol's hand-painted depictions of printed imagery deriving from commercial products and popular culture and belong to the pop art movement.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St Oswald's Church, Backford</span> Church in Cheshire, England

St Oswald's Church is in the village of Backford, to the northwest of Chester, Cheshire, England, close to the A41 road and adjoining Backford Hall. It is recorded in the National Heritage List for England as a designated Grade II* listed building. The church dates from the 14th century with later additions and restorations. It contains one of the few surviving aumbries in Cheshire and a number of memorial boards painted by the Randle Holme family. It is an active Anglican parish church in the diocese of Chester, the archdeaconry of Chester and the deanery of Wirral South. Its benefice is combined with that of Holy Trinity Church, Capenhurst. From March 2018 this benefice shares a vicar with All Saints, Saughall.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portraits of Shakespeare</span> Visual representations of William Shakespeare

No contemporary physical description of William Shakespeare is known to exist. The two portraits of him that are the most famous are the engraving that appears on the title-page of the First Folio, published in 1623, and the other is the sculpture that adorns his memorial in Stratford upon Avon, which dates from before 1623. Experts and critics have argued that several other paintings from the period may represent him, and more than 60 portraits purporting to be of Shakespeare were offered for sale to the National Portrait Gallery within four decades of its foundation in 1856, but in none of them has Shakespeare's identity been proven.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portraits of presidents of the United States</span> List of each official painting or photograph for all United States presidents

Beginning with painter Gilbert Stuart's portrait of George Washington, it has been traditional for the president of the United States to have an official portrait taken during their time in office, most commonly an oil painting. This tradition has continued to modern times, although since the adoption of photography as a widely used and reliable technology, the official portrait may also be a photograph.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cobbe portrait</span> Early Jacobean painting argued to be a life portrait of William Shakespeare

The Cobbe portrait is an early Jacobean panel painting of a gentleman which has been argued to be a life portrait of William Shakespeare. It is displayed at Hatchlands Park in Surrey, a National Trust property, and the portrait is so-called because of its ownership by Charles Cobbe, Church of Ireland (Anglican) Archbishop of Dublin (1686–1765). There are numerous early copies of the painting, most of which were once identified as Shakespeare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pieter Borsseler</span> Dutch painter

Pieter Borsseler or Pieter Borselaer was a Dutch portrait painter who was prominent in England during the second half of the 17th century.

<i>Ashbourne portrait</i> Painting falsely claimed to be of Shakespeare

The Ashbourne portrait is one of several portraits that have been falsely identified as portrayals of William Shakespeare. At least 60 such works had been offered for sale to the National Portrait Gallery in the 19th century within the first forty years of its existence; the Ashbourne portrait was one of these. The portrait is now a part of the collection of the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington, DC.

<i>The Polish Rider</i> Painting by Rembrandt

The Polish Rider is a seventeenth-century painting, usually dated to the 1650s, of a young man traveling on horseback through a murky landscape, now in The Frick Collection in New York. When the painting was sold by Zdzisław Tarnowski to Henry Frick in 1910, there was consensus that the work was by the Dutch painter Rembrandt. This attribution has since been contested, though those who contest it remain in the minority.

<i>Isabella Brant</i> (drawing)

Isabella Brant, a portrait drawing, was executed in Antwerp around 1621, by Flemish artist and diplomat, Peter Paul Rubens (1577–1640). Brant (1591–1626) was Rubens' first wife and modelled for some of his portraits until her untimely death in 1626. The portrait is drawn in black and red chalk with white heightening on brown wash paper.

<i>Lucan portrait of Leonardo da Vinci</i> Late 15th- or early 16th-century portrait

The Lucan portrait of Leonardo da Vinci is a late 15th- or early 16th-century portrait of a man that was discovered in 2008 in a cupboard of a private house in Italy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Droeshout portrait</span> Portrait of Shakespeare by Martin Droeshout

The Droeshout portrait or Droeshout engraving is a portrait of William Shakespeare engraved by Martin Droeshout as the frontispiece for the title page of the First Folio collection of Shakespeare's plays, published in 1623. It is one of only two works of art definitively identifiable as a depiction of the poet; the other is the statue erected as his funeral monument in Shakespeare's home town of Stratford-upon-Avon. Both are posthumous.

Daniel Fischlin is a University Research Chair and Full Professor of English and Theatre Studies at the University of Guelph.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Isabella Beetham</span> British artist

Isabella Beetham was an 18th-century British silhouette artist. She began her career by cutting the silhouette images. After studying painting with successful miniature portraitist John Smart, Beetham painted silhouettes to be framed or miniatures were made for jewelry. From 1785 to 1809, she had a business on 27 Fleet Street in London, where she produced silhouettes of men and women. She is considered one of the great 18th century silhouette artists, along with John Miers.

References

  1. 1 2 "The Connoisseur Vol. XXIII; pg 101; MH Spielmann" . Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 "Sanders Symposium 2013 Program" (PDF). Guelph, ON: CASP. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  3. [http://www.canadianshakespeares.ca/ Canadian Adaptations of Shakespeare Project (CASP)
  4. 1 2 Hannay, Chris (28 August 2020). "Guardians of a mysterious Shakespeare portrait are running out of time and money to keep it in Canada". The Globe and Mail. Retrieved 8 September 2022. For generations, the Sanders family has preserved a 17th-century painting that may be one of the only depictions of the Bard drawn in his lifetime. But proving its history has cost them a fortune
  5. "Family Ties Strengthen Authenticity of Shakespeare Portrait - News Release". CASP. 17 March 2011. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  6. Nolan, Stephanie, ed. (2002). Shakespeare's Face: Unraveling the Legend and History of Shakespeare's Mysterious Portrait (first ed.). Toronto: Alfred A. Knopf. ISBN   978-0-307-36651-1.
  7. 1 2 "Sanders Portrait of Shakespeare – Provenance and Genealogy". CASP. 27 February 2011. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  8. "Battle of Wills". IMDB. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  9. "Press Kit – Battle of Wills" (PDF). Montreal, QC, Canada: InformAction. 2009. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  10. "Experts Debate, Discuss Canadian Portrait of Shakespeare". University of Guelph. 28 November 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  11. "Reputed Shakespeare portrait prepares to strut upon the world stage". Globe and Mail. 5 November 2013. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  12. "OUP offers Shakespeare series with Canadian twist". Guelph, ON: CASP. 30 November 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  13. 1 2 "Shakespeare Made in Canada Series". Canada: Oxford University Press. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Corbeil, Marie-Claude. "The Scientific Examination of the Sanders Portrait of William Shakespeare". Ottawa, ON: Canadian Conservation Institute. Archived from the original on 17 October 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  15. 1 2 3 Tiramani, Jenny. "The Sanders Portrait" (PDF). CASP. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
  16. Gopnik, Adam (28 April 2014). "The Poet's Hand". The New Yorker.
  17. Cooper, Tanya (2006). Searching for Shakespeare. London: National Portrait Gallery. ISBN   9781855143616.
  18. "Canadian-owned painting purported to be only life-likeness of Shakespeare changing hands". Yahoo News Canada. 16 December 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  19. "Canadian family to buy portrait at centre of Shakespeare art mystery". The Globe and Mail. 15 December 2013. Retrieved 2 February 2014.
  20. Meredith Caraher (18 December 2013). "Alleged Shakespeare Portrait Sells, But Will Stay in Canada". Art Info. Retrieved 3 February 2014.