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William Shakespeare (formerly known as)

ca. 1770
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).

Artwork Details

Object Information
  • Title: William Shakespeare (formerly known as)
  • Engraver: Richard Earlom (British, London 1743–1822 London)
  • Artist: After Anonymous, Anglo-Netherlandish, 17th century
  • Artist: Once said to be after Cornelius Janssen (British, London, baptised 1593–1661 Utrecht)
  • Sitter: Once said to portray William Shakespeare (British, Stratford-upon-Avon 1564–1616 Stratford-upon-Avon)
  • Date: ca. 1770
  • Medium: Mezzotint
  • Dimensions: Sheet (trimmed to plate): 5 13/16 × 4 3/8 in. (14.7 × 11.1 cm)
  • Classification: Prints
  • Credit Line: Harris Brisbane Dick Fund, 1917
  • Object Number: 17.3.756–1714
  • Curatorial Department: Drawings and Prints

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View of Rome and Surrounding Country, Richard Earlom British, Mezzotint with etching
View of Rome and Surrounding Country
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Silenus and a Family of Satyrs (Bacchanal)
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The Prodigal Son, Richard Earlom British, Etching
The Prodigal Son
Multiple artists/makers
1766
Landscape with Cupid and Psyche, Richard Earlom British, Mezzotint with etching
Landscape with Cupid and Psyche
Multiple artists/makers
1776
Rape of Europa, Richard Earlom British, Mezzotint with etching
Rape of Europa
Multiple artists/makers
1776

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