Shakespeare’s 400th Anniversary – Still searching for Shakespeare

To commemorate the 400th Anniversary of the death of William Shakespeare, a display of rare artefacts connected to the bard is on display on the first floor of Longleat House until October. “Still searching for Shakespeare” features a virtually unknown likeness of the poet created in 1704, which was derived directly from the famous Chandos Shakespeare which hangs in the National Portrait Gallery, the only surviving portrait of the playwright with a generally accepted claim to have been painted during his lifetime.

Accompanying the portrait are several items from the Longleat library including two massive volumes of Boydell’s Collection of prints, from Pictures painted for the Purpose of Illustrating the Dramatic Works of Shakspeare, by the Artists of Great Britain [1805] and the Longleat copy of the First Folio published in 1623, one of only three surviving copies remaining in private hands.

The best known document in the Longleat archives, Henry Peacham’s Titus Andronicus drawing, the only surviving contemporary representation of a Shakespeare play in performance is also on display.

Opening Times & Dates