William Shakespeare

This small souvenir bust of William Shakespeare (1564-1616) is a miniature copy of an original by the French sculptor Louis-François Roubiliac (1702-1762) who lived and worked in England after 1731 and became known for his portrait busts, especially of writers, artists and thinkers. The original bust was commissioned by the actor David Garrick for the temple in the gardens of his house at Hampton, and bequeathed to the British Museum. David Garrick revered the memory of Shakespeare and organised the great Shakespeare Jubilee at Stratford-upon-Avon in 1769. Roubiliac completed two statues of Shakespeare for Garrick; the other is in London's Garrick Club.