William Shakespeare (formerly known as)

Various artists/makers

Not on view

Engraved as a frontispiece for Charles Jennens's 1770 edition of "King Lear," this engraving is based on a painting once attributed to Cornelius Johnson (or Janssen), believed in the nineteenth-century to represent Shakespeare at the age of forty. The painting passed from through multiple owners and is now at the Folger Shakespeare Library in Washington DC. Today, the "Janssen Portrait" is no longer thought to represent Shakespeare and has been retitled "Portrait of an Unknown Gentleman, possibly Thomas Overbury" (also see 17.3.756-2422).

William Shakespeare (formerly known as), Richard Earlom (British, London 1743–1822 London), Mezzotint

Due to rights restrictions, this image cannot be enlarged, viewed at full screen, or downloaded.

Open Access

As part of the Met's Open Access policy, you can freely copy, modify and distribute this image, even for commercial purposes.

API

Public domain data for this object can also be accessed using the Met's Open Access API.