Maclise (1806 - 1870) often drew inspiration from Shakespeare. He himself was a devotee of the theatre, and two of his closest friends, the novelist Charles Dickens and the journalist and critic John Forster, were passionate amateur actors. In 1840 the three men visited Shakespeare's birthplace at Stratford-upon-Avon, which Forster, a great Shakespeare scholar and the proud possessor of a First Folio, was later instrumental in securing as a national monument to the Bard. Maclise made his debut at the Royal Academy in 1829 with a scene from Twelfth Night, and he returned to this play for one of his most popular works, an attractive account of Malvolio appearing cross-gartered before Olivia and Maria in the garden which he showed at the Royal Academy in 1840 (Tate Gallery).
[Christie’s, London - Oil on canvas, 129 x 177.1 cm]