Merry wives of Windsor, act I, sc. 4 [graphic].

Merry wives of Windsor, act I, sc. 4 [graphic].

[19th century?]

1 drawing : watercolor with varnish highlights ; 10 1/2 x 8 3/8 in.

paper

Artist: Item was sold as the work of John Masey Wright, however, it is dissimilar to other works in the collection attributed to Wright. The artist of this work has used a looser brush stroke, more similar to the works of Joseph Nash, Charles Landseer or Francis Stephanoff, all artists working in the first half of the 19th century. All of these artists were known to have executed drawings of Shakespearean scenes.

Provenance: Item was purchased by the Folgers from Maggs Bros., Nov. 1927. (Formerly numbered as ART Box W951 no. 27).

Subject: Drawing depicts Dr. Caius finding Simple hiding in his closet in act I, sc. 4. Mistress Quickly is shown, behind her master Dr. Caius, and Rugby (?) is seen looking in through a door at left in the background. The ink label on the mount gives the characters as "Mrs. Quickly, Dr. Caius & Rugby / Caius: 'Vat shall de honest man do in my closet?' "The line is spoken directly after Caius finds Simple in the closet. In this drawing Caius is pictured grabbing the collar of a young man in the frame of a doorway, the young man is more likely Simple than Rugby, despite the label.

Title from label written in ink on mount, also written in pencil on verso of backing of Folger copy. Unsigned.

This record contains unverified data from old cards and may contain incorrect or incomplete text. Please consult Curator for assistance.

ART Box S528m4 no.7 (size L)

cs1724