Art UK has updated its cookies policy. By using this website you are agreeing to the use of cookies. To find out more read our updated Use of Cookies policy and our updated Privacy policy.

William Shakespeare between Tragedy and Comedy

Image credit: Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

How you can use this image

 

This image is available to be shared and re-used under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives licence (CC BY-NC-ND).

You can reproduce this image for non-commercial purposes and you are not able to change or modify it in any way.

Wherever you reproduce the image you must attribute the original creators (acknowledge the original artist(s) and the person/organisation that took the photograph of the work) and any other rights holders.

Review our guidance pages which explain how you can reuse images, how to credit an image and how to find more images in the public domain or with a Creative Commons licence available.

Download

Notes

Add or edit a note on this artwork that only you can see. You can find notes again by going to the ‘Notes’ section of your account.

This painting depicts Shakespeare with the Muses Thalia (Comedy) and Melpomene (Tragedy), who are without their usual attributes of a scroll or viol and a sword or dagger. The figure of Tragedy is neo-Classical in its linearity, and its strict profile and confined gesture are similar to John Flaxman's illustrations to Homer. Comedy is of a type comparable with the slightly risqué figures painted by the Rev. Matthew William Peters (1741/1742–1814).

Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

Stratford-upon-Avon

Title

William Shakespeare between Tragedy and Comedy

Date

1825

Medium

oil & gesso on panel

Measurements

H 109.5 x W 107 cm

Accession number

SBT 1999-49

Acquisition method

purchased with the assistance of the National Art Collections Fund, the Museums and Galleries Commission/Victoria and Albert Museum Purchase Grant Fund and the Friends of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, 1999

Work type

Painting

Inscription description

signed and dated R. Westall R A 1825

Tags

See a tag that’s incorrect or offensive? Challenge it and notify Art UK.

Help improve Art UK. Tag artworks and verify existing tags by joining the Tagger community.

Shakespeare Birthplace Trust

Henley Street, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire CV37 6QW England

This venue is open to the public. Not all artworks are on display. If you want to see a particular artwork, please contact the venue.
View venue