Sculpture of William Shakespeare

This is a marble sculpture of William Shakespeare. He is learning on a desk with a quill pen in his hand, deep in thought.

The statue was ordered by David Garrick, one of the most brilliant English actors of the 18th century. Garrick brought in a new, relaxed style of acting, which we still use today. He loved Shakespeare and played many of his characters, including Hamlet and Richard III. He made Shakespeare famous again, a hundred years after the playwright's death.

Garrick modelled for the sculpture himself. He was so delighted with the finished result that he paid £315 for it.

About the sculpture

From: London, England

Date: AD 1758

Made by: Louis-François Roubiliac
Find it in the Museum: in the exhibition Shakespeare: staging the world

The sculptor

The statue was made by the talented Frenchman
Louis-Francois Roubiliac. He sculpted many celebrities of his day, including musicians, actors, scientists and royalty.
The flawed stone

Roubiliac carved Shakespeare twice, as the first lot of marble wasn't good enough. Garrick complained that the face looked as if it was 'marked with mulberries'.
Roubiliac working on the sculpture, print by David Martin, AD 1765.
The date

This close-up of the marble shows us Roubiliac's signature. 'invt et sct' means 'Roubiliac invented and carved this'. Can you work out the date too?
MDCCLVIII (AD 1758).
The brilliant actor

In this cartoon from the time, the famous artist Hogarth is painting Garrick, but can't pin down his face. Can you see the pile of possible different heads by the wall?
'The Artist Puzzled' by R Evan Sly, AD 1845.
The death mask

This drawing was taken from Garrick's death-mask. It gives us a good idea of what he actually looked like.
Head of David Garrick, after Robert Edge Pine,
AD 1779.
The reverse

Roubiliac left the back of the statue rough, because it was made to stand against a wall. There are also some small holes in the back, which might have been used to transport it.
The purpose

Garrick had the statue made to take pride of place in a temple he had built in honour of Shakespeare. The temple still stands there today, now with a replica (copy) of the sculpture inside it.
© Prioryman 2011.
The setting

The temple is in a peaceful spot beside the river Thames.
© Maxwell Hamilton 2012.
The painting

This famous painting shows Garrick and his wife relaxing by the temple with their dog.
David Garrick and his wife by his temple to Shakespeare at Hampton by Johan Zoffany, AD 1762. © Yale Center for British Art.