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An Ideal Portrait of William Shakespeare (1564–1616)
Angelica Kauffmann·c. 1774
Historical Context
This ideal portrait of William Shakespeare from around 1774 reflects the Shakespeare cult that pervaded Georgian British culture. Kauffmann, who painted several Shakespearean subjects, created this imagined likeness as a contribution to the veneration of the national poet. Kauffmann's refined oil handling favored cool, clear colors and gracefully elongated figures that drew on classical sculpture and Raphael's serene compositions, executed with a smooth, controlled touch that avoided all...
Technical Analysis
The idealized portrait applies Kauffmann's Neoclassical refinement to an imagined likeness, creating a dignified image that reflects literary imagination rather than historical record.
See It In Person
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Edward Smith Stanley (1752–1834), Twelfth Earl of Derby, Elizabeth, Countess of Derby (Lady Elizabeth Hamilton, 1753–1797), and Their Son (Edward Smith Stanley, 1775–1851)
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