PORTRAIT OF SHAIESPEARE.—Arthur Paget (Cranmore) mentions a sup- posed portrait
of Shakspeare at 'Weymouth. I have seen the picture at the library referred to, and felt much interested in the same, having heard the Chandos portrait pronounced spurious. The portrait at Weymouth appears to have been taken when Shakspeare was about twenty-seven or twenty- eight years of age ; and from the opinions of art critics in the possession of owner, it also appears to be an undoubted work of Zucchero's. It must be remembered that Zucchero visited England at the time Shakspeare was a great favourite of Elizabeth's, for the purpose of painting Elizabeth and her Court, and, in all probability painted Shakspeare at the same time. The Weymouth picture agrees in every particular with a portrait described by Sir Joshua Reynolds, who says m one of his lectures :—" I have lately seen in a private collection at Bath a portrait of Shakspeare, painted by Zucchero by command of Elizabeth. It is a small picture on panel, and has the name of the immortal bard on the right hand side of the head. It con- sists of the head and the neck-ruff only, and there can be no doubt as to its originality."—Notes and Queries.
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