Shakespeare's Face: Unraveling the Legend and History of Shakespeare's Mysterious Portrait

"In May 2001, Stephanie Nolen made a stunning announcement that ignited furious debate around the world - the discovery of a painting that may be the only portrait of William Shakespeare painted during his lifetime." "In Shakespeare's Face she tells the extraordinary story: how the portrait came to reside under the bed of a Montreal grandmother and how her grandson, a retired engineer, painstakingly authenticated the work in the face of numerous setbacks. An unparalleled international cast of experts in art and literature spiritedly weighs the evidence for and against the "Sanders portrait," making this a fascinating tour of provenance, perfect for the Antiques Roadshow lover. In an entertaining manner, the experts examine telling scientific details such as the age and origin of the portrait's wood, the barely visible handwriting on the label affixed to its back, and the significance of the sitter's clothes. They explore our desire, repeated over the centuries, to find an image of Shakespeare that speaks to us, and they ultimately create a succinct but comprehensive biography of the Bard, a picture of his life and times." "The face in the small oil-on-wood painting is an attractive one: mischievous, keen-eyed, enigmatic - not the "bladder-faced burger," disparaged by Mark Twain, taken from images of the playwright created after his death. The smile is suggestive, for many, of the humorous, humane man who wrote the greatest plays in the English language." "As this engrossing book demonstrates, Shakespeare's genius had many faces and the Sanders portrait may show us the most genuine and authentic of them all."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved