THE CHANDOS PORTRAIT - PICTURE OF WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE

This portrait has been attributed to Joseph Taylor but the exact date of the painting is unknown. The full beard and moustache was favoured in pictures by Rubens after his arrival in England in 1630. It is believed to have been commissioned by the playwright and theatre manager William Davenant (1606–1668). The portrait receives its name as it was once in the possession of the Duke of Chandos. The Chandos picture is by far the most attractive of the pictures of William Shakespeare and is typical of English paintings, portraits and costumes of the period. The Chandos portrait has, however, been altered by Ozias Humphrey and Sir Joshua Reynolds. In 1856 it became the property of Britain's National Portrait Gallery and has the distinction of being the first picture bought by the gallery.