In Sanders portrait, how is the Jenny Tiramani of the Internal evidence elucidated?
The former director of theatre design at the Globe Theatre and expert on Elizabethan and Jacobean dress inspected the clothing and hairstyles of the sitter in the Sanders Portrait and compared it with the biographical knowledge we have of William Shakespeare and his life in 1603 (when the picture was painted). Tiramani concluded:Shakespeare’s elevation to a member of the King’s Men in 1603 was likely the reason for having the portraiture painted.
This elevation in status also allowed Shakespeare access to the silver thread and other elements of his dress that would have, the year earlier, been restricted from him by sumptuary laws.
The undercoat is similar to those worn in other early 17th century theatre portraits.
The hairstyle is consistent with those styles worn by young courtiers in the 17th century.
the King’s Men William Shakespeare Jenny Tiramani sumptuary laws