This was long thought to be the only portrait of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Shakespeare" class="extiw" title="w:William Shakespeare">William Shakespeare</a> that had any claim to have been painted from life, until another possible life portrait, the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cobbe_portrait" class="extiw" title="w:Cobbe portrait">Cobbe portrait</a>, was revealed in 2009. The portrait is known as the '<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chandos_portrait" class="extiw" title="w:Chandos portrait">Chandos portrait</a>' after a previous owner, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Brydges,_1st_Duke_of_Chandos" class="extiw" title="w:James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos">James Brydges, 1st Duke of Chandos</a>. It was the first portrait to be acquired by the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Portrait_Gallery_(London)" class="extiw" title="w:National Portrait Gallery (London)">National Portrait Gallery</a> in 1856.
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It may be by a painter called John Taylor who was an important member of the Painter-Stainers' Company.<sup id="cite_ref-NPG_1-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-NPG-1">[1]</a></sup></div>
<a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?title=1610&amp;action=edit&amp;redlink=1" class="new" title="1610 (page does not exist)">1610</a>
<ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/portrait/mw11574/William-Shakespeare">Official gallery link</a></li>
<li>Modified <a href="//commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shakespeare.jpg" title="File:Shakespeare.jpg">Shakespeare.jpg</a></li></ul>