The Bard o' Bards Trivia Quiz

Answer: A handwritten "W+S".

The Grafton Portrait was one of the earliest claimants but its authenticity is now in doubt. Although tests confirm the paint used is from the 17th century, the gentleman in the painting may not be of Shakespeare. The sitter in the portrait is wearing a scarlet coloured cloak, at the time a colour restricted to nobility.

The "W+S" inscription is thought to have been added sometime in the 19th century. Interestingly, the John Rylands University Library has never claimed that the picture is that of Shakespeare.

Answer: He was Shakespeare's illegitimate son

Although Davenant's claim of kinship to Shakespeare by blood has never been proven, he is believed to be at the very least Shakespeare's godson. The Chandos Portrait (circa 1610) shows a man in his mid-thirties with a full beard, moustache and receding hairline.

Antiquarian George Vertue, in his volume "Notebooks" (1719), noted the popular theory that a certain actor named John Taylor created the Chandos Portrait. Researchers were able to locate a Joseph Taylor (1586-1653) who was a principal actor on the stage but unfortunately gave no indication as to any artistic talent. English author Mary Edmond has suggested that the "John Taylor" in question might be the John Taylor listed in the "London guild of painter-stainers" who died in 1651. The following is the ownership sequence of the Chandos Portrait:
- 1610, Joseph Taylor (1586-1653)
- 1653, Sir William Davenant (1606-1668)
- 1668, John Otway (?-?)
- ?, Thomas Betterton, Shakespearean actor (1635-1710)
- 1710, Mrs. Elizabeth Barry, actress (1658-1713)
- ?, Robert Keck (purchased from Mrs. Barry)
- ?, Mr. Nicoll (by inheritance)
- ?, Nicoll's daughter, (later) wife of James, the Duke of Chandos
- ?, Anna Eliza, James's daughter, (later) the Duchess of Buckingham
- 1848, The Earl of Ellesmere
The Earl of Ellesmere donated it to the National Portrait Gallery (London, England) in 1856, the gallery's very first acquisition. It is there to this day.

In her investigative volume "The True Face of William Shakespeare", published in 2006, English professor Hildegard Hammerschmidt-Hummel contends that the Chandos Portrait was created by Elizabethan actor and amateur artist Richard Burbage, a contemporary of Shakespeare's. Burbage supposedly later gave it to fellow actor Joseph Taylor.

Answer: Both were likely fake

Test results on both the Janssen Portrait (oil on oak panel, Cornelius Janssen, circa 1610-1618) and the Ashbourne Portrait (oil on canvas, Cornelius Ketel, 1611) have shown them to likely not be of William Shakespeare.

Cornelius Janssen (1593-1661) arrived in London, England in 1618, two years after Shakespeare's death. Between 1618-1643, he painted numerous portraits of prominent people under the patronage of King James 1 and later Charles 1. At the time, it was speculated that he painted Shakespeare's likeness from a cast or bust. Recently in 2006, however, it has been confirmed that the Janssen Portrait was copied from an original painting belonging to a Mr. Alec Cobbe, whose family the painting belonged to for several centuries. Research done on the painting gives its creation date at 1610, six years before Shakespeare's death and, equally intriguing, that it then belonged to The Earl of Southampton, Shakespeare's patron. The Janssen Portrait is currently believed to be of author/courtier Sir Thomas Overbury (1581-1613).

Answer: The First Folio

Shortly after the death of William Shakespeare in 1616, Ben Jonson, John Hemminge, and Henry Condell collaborated on the production of Shakespeare's First Folio, a collection of 36 of his plays.

Modern opinion has held that the Droeshout Engraving does not flatter Shakespeare. The head is large and out of proportion to the rest of the body. Since there is no evidence that Droeshout ever met Shakespeare, it is widely suspected that Jonson, Hemminge, and Condell were only able to provide Droeshout with a verbal description of their late fellow playwright. Also, Jonson included the words to the reader: "Look not on his picture, but his book.". The Second Folio was produced in 1632, the Third in 1663, and the Fourth in 1685. The Droeshout engraving is currently housed in the British Library in London, England.

Answer: He inserted question marks in the verse

The Marshall Engraving verse by Ben Jonson:

"This Shadow is renowned Shakespear's? Soule of th' age
The applause? Delight? The wonder of the Stage..."

Jonson's verse for the Droeshout Engraving folio did not contain any question marks. Whether Jonson was having a bit of fun at the 1640 poem collection's expense or implying otherwise, no one knows.

Answer: A sack

Although it is possible that Dugdale was taking artistic license with a minor detail, it is possible that what he saw and copied, sack and all, was a totally different version than the Stratford bust now on display in the Stratford Parish Church. Widely believed to have been commissioned by Shakespeare's daughter and her husband, Dr. John Hall, the original was referenced in Shakespeare's First Folio (1623), with an indication that Shakespeare had already passed away. That puts the provenance of the bust between 1616 (his death) and 1623 (the First Folio). Two possibilities among others may account for the discrepancies.
1) The current Stratford Memorial bust is not an accurate likeness of Shakespeare anymore, due to constant repairs to the bust over time. Dugdale's 1653 sketch may have shown what the original bust resembled, sack in hand. Also in 1709, an unidentified illustrator made a sketch that was to be included in (a Mr.) Rowe's "Account of Shakespeare's Life". His sketch closely resembled Dugdale's.
2) The current Stratford Memorial bust was copied from Shakespeare's death mask. According to William Dugdale, Flemish tomb-maker Gerard Johnson (or Gheerart Janssen) was hired to create a monument to Shakespeare. It has been suggested that Johnson created his bust using the death mask as a facial reference. (See question #10).

(I am unable to find a connection between painter Cornelius Janssen and tomb-maker Gheerart Janssen.)

Answer: All three reasons

Tests completed recently have shown that one of the original colour pigments used to create the Flower Portrait, painted by an unknown English artist, was likely not available until 1828. In addition, x-rays taken show another painting underneath. The original was a "Madonna and Child with John the Baptist", a painting rendered sometime in the 1500s. The Flower Portrait was first noted about 1840, having being purchased by H.C. Clements, an art lover from Peckham Rye, near London, England.

To many past and present researchers, the Droeshout Engraving (1623) and the Flower Portrait (1609?) bear an uncanny resemblance to each other. So much so, there is still an ongoing debate as to which of the two predates the other. A conclusion in favour of the Flower Portrait (1609!) would not only validate it as a true Shakespeare likeness but also relegate the Chandos portrait (1610), currently the popular choice of Shakespeare researchers.
Some Flower Portrait proponents:
- Hildegard Hammerschmidt-Hummel, English professor (University of Marburg, Germany).
- Sidney Lee, Shakespeare historian (1898).
- Sir E.J. Poynter, National Gallery director (1896?).
- Lionel Cust, National Portrait Gallery director (1890's).
- Sydney Colvin, British Museum curator (1890's).
Some Flower Portrait opponents:
- Marion Spielmann, art historian.
- Samuel Schoenbaum, Shakespeare biographer and historian.
- Dr. Tarnya Cooper, art historian, National Portrait Gallery (2005).

Although there were subsequent calls for the "Shakespeare likeness" to be removed in favor of the original (and possibly more valuable) "Madonna with child", the Flower Portrait was left intact in accordance with the original intention of Mrs. Flower's donation.

Answer: All three names

The portrait was owned by Thomas Wright of Covent Garden in 1725. At that time, an engraving of the portrait was made by a certain John Simon. Although sometimes referred to as the Hunt or Stratford Portrait, it is properly called the Soest Portrait, after the original painter Gerard Soest, who created this oil-on-canvas sometime between 1637-1667, many years after Shakespeare's death. W. O. Hunt was only able to trace the portrait's ownership back to 1758, to a family named Clopton.

Although being discovered in Stratford enhances the painting as a contender, there is unfortunately no inscription to connect it to the Bard.

The painting is currently housed at the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust in Stratford-upon-Avon, England.

Answer: Canada

In 1972 in Ottawa, Canada, Lloyd Sullivan inherited from his mother a painting that was kept for years in an upstairs cupboard in her home. Curious as to whether the painting depicted Shakespeare, Sullivan was able to trace his own ancestry back twelve generations to a certain John Sanders, born in 1576, who left home in Worcester to live in London, England. There, he eventually became an actor in Shakespeare's Theatre Company. The full inscription on the reverse side of the oil-on-wood reads: "Shakspere, born April 23rd 1564, died April 23rd 1616, aged 52, this likeness taken 1603, age at that time 39 years."

Although tests have proven that the wooden frame was from the early 1600s, there is no way to prove conclusively that the inscription is genuine or that the likeness belongs to the Bard. The attached paper label is suspected to have been added during the late 1700's, which casts further doubt on the portrait's veracity.

Answer: All three pieces of evidence

In 1849, Ludwig Becker, a court painter and naturalist, found and purchased the death mask in Mainz, Germany in 1849. Previously in 1847, he came into possession of a drawing, now called the Kesselstadt Picture, from an antiquarian in Mainz. In 1850, Becker travelled to London, England, where he left the mask in the temporary care of Professor Richard Owen, distinguished curator of the British Museum.

Owen and other scholars discovered two important points.
1) On the back of the death mask was etched "+ A* Dm 1616". This was taken to signify death (the cross), Anno Domini (In the year of our Lord), 1616, which happened to be the year of Shakespeare's death.
2) The above inscription was made AT THE TIME of the mask's construction. In fact, traces of hair could be seen clinging to the mask.

The Kesselstadt drawing was discovered at auction during the dispersal of possessions of the late German nobleman, Count Francis von Kesselstadt. It shows a man lying in state, with the faint outline of a lit candle in the background. The accompanying inscription reads: "Den Traditionen nach, SHAKESPEARE. Ao 1637". Shakespeare died in 1616, not 1637. However, 1637 saw the passing of his acting colleague, Ben Jonson. Certainly a sticking point.
(Source: John S. Hart's article for the "May, 1874" edition of U.S. magazine "Scribner's Monthly", currently on file at Cornell University Library.)

In William Dugdale's own words, published in his "Antiquities of Warwickshire" in 1653, he stated: "The monument of John Combe, at Stratford-sup'-Avon, and Shakespeare's, were made by one Gerard Johnson." During the 1500's and 1600's, it was common practice for tomb-makers to use death masks as references when making busts or monuments of the deceased. Although Shakespeare's (alleged) death mask shares similarities with the Stratford bust and the Dugdale sketch, it does not closely resemble either, nor the many portraits submitted throughout history.

Interesting note: In 1845 in London, England, the Royal College of Surgeons made plans to enlarge their buildings by demolishing some adjacent property once owned by Sir William Davenant, Shakespeare's godson. Davenant had used the property to build Duke's Theatre in 1662, some 46 years after Shakespeare's death in 1616. Upon demolishing the wall around the main entrance, an ornamental arched portal, workmen discovered two terra cotta busts, one broken in pieces and another in perfect condition. The broken pieces of the first bust was carefully reassembled but was found to not resemble any prominent playwright or known actor. However, the other bust, now referred to as the Terra Cotta bust or Davenant bust (after Sir William Davenant), is believed by some to be that of Shakespeare, although there is no inscription to confirm this. The bust was later acquired by the Duke of Devonshire and donated to the Garrick Club in London, England in 1855. The bust, similar in profile to Shakespeare's alleged death mask, resides there to this day.

What did Shakespeare look like? A tantalizing question that may never be answered. Current consensus favours the Chandos Portrait as the best claimant to Shakespeare's likeness.

"Oh what a tangled web we weave,
When first we practice to deceive." (Sir Walter Scott, Marmion)

"What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;..." (Romeo and Juliet).

(Note: Much has been written questioning the true authorship of Shakespeare's plays. Suggested alternatives include such prominent names as Christopher Marlowe, "Earl of Oxford" Edward de Vere, Ben Jonson, and Sir Francis Bacon. PBS's investigative series "Frontline" went so far as to produce an excellent documentary (1989) regarding Shakespeare vs. the Earl of Oxford. In my humble opinion, Shakespeare is rightly credited with authorship. It is entirely possible that some were as a result of collaborations with his fellow actors and playwrights, which was reflected in Shakespeare never once claiming sole proprietorship of the plays. To date, there is no irrefutible evidence in favor of any of the alternative choices. Shakespeare retains his rightful place as one of the greatest playwrights in recorded history.)

This quiz is dedicated to William Shakespeare (1564-1616): The Man from Stratford. The Bard of Avon. The Bard o' Bards.

A special dedication to my children, Rebecca and Benjamin.

"Good night, good night! Parting is such sweet sorrow. That I shall say good night till it be morrow." (Romeo and Juliet)

Thank you for playing my twentieth quiz creation.