The experts who conducted the restoration of two alleged portraits of Shakespeare, destroying valuable evidence about the changes made over time in the «outside» the playwright

When at the beginning of March restorer Alex Cobb (Alec Cobbe) and shekspiroved Stanley Wells (Stanley Wells) have announced that they were able to detect intravital portrait of William Shakespeare (William Shakespeare) , many experts and fans to the talent of famous bard believed that this discovery a step brought us closer to the real image of the great playwright.

The experts believed that this portrait of a family collection Cobb, written during the life of Shakespeare, as well as another, so called. «Yanssenovsky portrait», which is stored in Washington, in the collection of Shakespeare Library Foldzherov have to add after the death of the writer. Recently, however, found that conservatives, both engage in the restoration of paintings, some overdo it in their desire to withdraw later colorful layers of clear and original image. Because of this they have destroyed valuable evidence of what changes over time were made in the «outside» the famous playwright. Recent studies have shown that both portrait appended during the life of Shakespeare, or within 10 years after his death, were still alive when his friends and acquaintances. Even Alec Cobb, personally took part in the restoration of paintings from his family meetings, explained that some amendments could be made just a few months after the painting itself was completed.

It is assumed that «portrait Cobb», which depicts a man with magnificent hair, was written by order of Shakespeare's patron Count Sautgemtonskogo. It is possible that he then wanted to gloss over this little portrait.

«Yanssenovsky portrait» dates from approximately 1610, when Shakespeare was 46 years old. There is reason to believe that after six years, when the playwright died, it was decided to «wear out» a portrait, paint some hair lysinoy to bring it closer to the real image of the playwright at the time of his death.

Unfortunately, now find out the details of the two «transformation» is almost impossible. It is an unfortunate failure partly due to the fact that the restoration of two paintings done when none of them thought to be a portrait of Shakespeare.

Portrait Cobb renovated in 2002, along with the rest of the pictures from the family collection of Cobb. Then, were not known nor the name of the author or the person depicted in it man. A «Yanssenovsky portrait» in 1988, when the clearing of the upper layers of paint have been removed from the list «Shakespearean», as it found more recent developments, and its authenticity was questioned.

material produced Catherine Onuchin

Source: telegraph.co . uk , artinvestment.ru