Shakespeare's portrait made during his lifetime goes for sale in London, Check the price

Literary artist William Shakespeare's portrait has gone on public display in London. It is said that the historical portrait of Shakespeare, which bears his signature and date, was created during his lifetime by Robert Peake, who was a sergeant-painter to King James I.

According to The Guardian report, the owner of the portrait, who has kept his identity hidden, is offering the painting on sale for £10 million by private treaty without an auction. The artwork was displayed on Wednesday at the Grosvenor House hotel in west London.

William Shakespeare's signed painting goes on sale in London

The picture was hung in the library of a stately home in the north of England before 1975, and it belonged to the Danby family. According to the publication, it is believed by people who have organised the sale that the painting had some connections between Shakespeare and Peake, as the artist was regularly commissioned to paint the portraits of high-ranking members of the court and Jacobean society.

The painter was commissioned by the higher authorities of the Revels, which oversaw play presentation, and worked in the Clerkenwell, London, premises where Shakespeare's plays were rehearsed, per the outlet. To date, there are only two paintings of Shakespeare, both posthumous, that are regarded as validly portraying him: the engraving that appears on the title page of the First Folio, published in 1623, and the sculpture at his funeral monument in Stratford-upon-Avon. Shakespeare died in 1616, at the age of 52.

"There is more evidence for this portrait of Shakespeare than any other known painting of the playwright," said art expert Duncan Phillips, who investigated the work ahead of the sale. "It is a monogrammed and dated work by a portrait painter of serious status with connections to the artist who produced the image for the First Folio."

He further added, "The picture has survived the past 400 years almost untouched by wear and tear thanks to its ownership by a family of Shakespeare enthusiasts who hung it in their library." Earlier, Shakespeare's first folio of work had created a new world record for literature at a New York auction after the Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies sold for the masterpiece for nearly $9,978,000 more than its value of £7,600,000  at Christie’s in New York

Image: AP/ Representative