William Shakespeare
Charles William Sherborn British
Printer Thomas Brooker British
Sitter William Shakespeare British
Not on view
Derived from a sculpted monument at Stratford-upon-Avon, Shakespeare’s birthplace, this portrait shows the Bard dressed in a doublet and winged collar, with an aureole of laurels behind his head. Emblematic additions include a skull, Tudor rose, and volume of his writings. A plaque below lauds the subject as poet, philosopher, and actor. Sherborn was known as the "Victorian little master," and worked for Swiss goldsmiths before leading a revival of copper-engraved bookplates in London and producing this jewel-like print.