Published 02/03/2014
Explore the world of William Shakespeare with the art collection of the Royal Shakespeare Company.
Founded in 1961, The Royal Shakespeare Company in Stratford-upon-Avon brings to life the works of William Shakespeare through bold, ambitious retellings of his plays. The Company's collection currently holds 4,000 items, dating back to the seventeenth century, which includes paintings of iconic actors, stage productions, artistic interpretations of Shakespeare's works, and portraits of the playwright himself. Many of the RSC's most important oil paintings have been digitised and are now available on the Bridgeman website for image licensing. See all images from the collection.
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1. The World of William Shakespeare "God has given you one face, and you make yourself another." William Shakespeare, Hamlet What did Shakespeare look like? Only two portraits of him were produced in his lifetime by contemporaries, which have been repeatly reworked throughout the centuries. See portraits of William Shakespeare in the collection. Shakespeare was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in Warwickshire and was baptised a few days later on 26 April 1564. In Shakespeare's youth, Stratford was often visited by travelling troupes of professional actors. It is said that these players may have sparked his interest in the stage. |
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2. All the world's a stage The collection includes artistic interpretations of acts and scenes in Shakespeare's plays. Examples include scenes from 'A Midsummer Night's Dream,' 'King Lear', 'Hamlet' and 'Macbeth' by artists including Henry Fuseli (1741–1825, George Romney (1734-1802) and Ruskin Spear (1911-90). |
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3. Famous Faces Great Shakespearean actors are immortalised in the oil paintings including the English stage actress Ellen Terry (1848-1928) and David Garrick (1717-79), an English actor, playwright, theatre manager and producer who influenced nearly all aspects of theatrical practice throughout the 18th century. More recent portraits include a painting of Richard Pasco, CBE (b.1926) by John Bratby (1928-92) and Sir Michael Redgrave as Hamlet in Stratford, 1958 by Bryan Kneale (b.1930).
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Shakespeare Birthday Celebrations 2016
2016 will mark the 400th anniversary of the death of Britain’s most famous playwright and poet.
See more images of Shakespeare's work, outside of the RSC's collection
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