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Lifetime Portrait of Bard Found

Work is only living painting of the Bard

By Nick McMaster, Newser Staff

Posted Mar 9, 2009 1:20 PM CDT

(Newser) – A family heirloom is thought to be the only surviving portrait of William Shakespeare painted during his life, the Telegraph reports. Art restorer Alex Cobbe noticed that a portrait of the Bard in the Folger Shakespeare library in Washington—known to be a posthumous copy of another work—bore an uncanny resemblance to a painting he had inherited. After extensive analysis of Cobbe’s painting, experts believe it was the basis for the Folger copy.

"My first impression was skepticism," said Stanley Wells, chairman of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, who examined the work. "But my excitement has grown with the amount of evidence about the painting. "I am willing to go 90% of the way to declaring my confirmation that this is the only lifetime portrait of Shakespeare."

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A detail of the newly discovered portrait of William Shakespeare, presented by the Shakespeare Birthplace trust, is seen in central London, Monday March 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

A newly discovered portrait of William Shakespeare, presented by the Shakespeare Birthplace trust, is seen in central London, Monday March 9, 2009. (AP Photo/Lefteris Pitarakis)

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There new evidence that an unidentified portrait from a private collection may actually portray William Shakespeare. Richard Roth reports. (CBS)

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Lifetime Portrait of Bard Found