An Ideal Portrait of William Shakespeare (1564–1616)

An Ideal Portrait of William Shakespeare from around 1774, now in the Royal Shakespeare Theatre, reflects the extraordinary Shakespeare cult that pervaded Georgian British culture. The 18th century had rehabilitated Shakespeare as the supreme English genius, and portraits of the national poet — all necessarily imaginary given the lack of unambiguously authentic likenesses — were among the most sought-after subjects in Georgian decorative art. Kauffmann, who had already established herself as a history painter willing to treat literary as well as classical subjects, was well placed to contribute to this Shakespeare iconography. Her ideal portrait applies her Neoclassical refinement to an imagined likeness, creating a dignified image that reflects literary imagination rather than historical record. The Royal Shakespeare Theatre holds this portrait in permanent collection, connecting it to the ongoing performance tradition that Kauffmann's 18th-century contemporaries were celebrating and mythologizing. The portrait was presumably made for a literary or theatrical patron with strong Shakespeare connections, and its placement in the RSC collection continues a Shakespearean association that may go back to its original commission.

The idealized portrait applies Kauffmann's Neoclassical refinement to an imagined likeness, creating a dignified image that reflects literary imagination rather than historical record.