June 2015 | Rebecca Rego Barry

Shakespearean Fashion Plates

Coming to auction at Swann Galleries on June 10 are several lots of hand-drawn and colored costume plates from late nineteenth-century stage productions of Shakespeare. Executed by illustrator Robert Bööcke, circa 1895, each gouache study on board is signed by Bööcke and captioned with the character and the play. The lot of 22 for "Twelfth Night" (estimated at $1,000-1,500) includes Olivia and Duke Orsino.
Twelfth.jpgTwelfth2.jpgA group of 30 watercolor and gouache studies for "The Taming of the Shrew" (estimated at $1,000-1,500) includes Christopher Sly and Lucentio.

Shrew.jpg Shrew1.jpgAnother, less colorful lot includes 30 pencil and wash studies for "The Merchant of Venice" (estimated at $1,000-1,500).

Images via Swann Galleries.