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The Sanders Portrait, Possibly of Shakespeare

Portrait of Shakespeare

The Sanders Portrait, Possibly of Shakespeare

November 14–November 16, 2002

University of Toronto Art Centre

The Sanders Portrait, Possibly of Shakespeare, will be exhibited at the University of Toronto Art Centre in conjunction with Picturing Shakespeare, the multi-disciplinary symposium sponsored by Records in Early English Drama, the Art Gallery of Ontario and the University of Toronto Art Centre. The scholars brought together for this symposium will address the question, “Does the Sanders Portrait depict William Shakespeare?” Lloyd Sullivan, the owner of the Sanders portrait, in an attempt to prove the painting was a creation of Shakespearean England brought the portrait to the Canadian Conservation Institute for scientific examination. The results of the tests carried out there on the 42 cm x 33 cm painted wood panel proved conclusively that the painting was created in England in the early 17th century and was not a modern fake. Whether the Sullivan family legend that John Sanders, an ancestor of the Sanders family, painted the only known likeness of William Shakespeare created during his lifetime will be vigorously examined by the scholars brought together at Picturing Shakespeare.

Lecture

The Mind’s Construction in the Face: Shakespeare and Portraiture
Thursday September 19, 2002, 4:30pm
University College, Room 140

Artist Talk

Beholding the Bard: A Dialogue Between Joanne Tod and Alan H. Nelson
Featuring Joanne Tod and Alan H. Nelson
Thursday November 14, 2002, 5-7pm
University of Toronto Art Centre
Reserved Admission $50

Symposium

Picturing Shakespeare: An Interdisciplinary Symposium
Friday November 15 – Saturday, November 16, 2002
George Ignatieff Theatre, Trinity College

Our Supporters

We gratefully acknowledge the project support of Records of Early English Drama and the Art Gallery of Ontario for their contributions to the Symposium.

Title Image: John Sanders, The Sanders Portrait, 1603. Oil on oak wood panel. 42 cm × 33 cm.