Much ado about Shakespeare’s true image

He’s a man in black with a full beard and a hoop earring. Or a clean-shaven, balding gent in a starched collar. Or a sensitive young man in a rich, red doublet.

For centuries, scholars have argued about the appearance of William Shakespeare. Britain’s National Portrait Gallery announced Wednesday that a canvas by an obscure 17th century artist is, most likely, the one true likeness of the playwright painted in his lifetime.

“I suspect this is the closest we’re ever going to get to looking at the face of Shakespeare,” said Tarnya Cooper, curator of the gallery’s 16th century collection.

She said there was strong evidence but no conclusive proof that the so-called Chandos portrait depicted Shakespeare. Attributed to a little-known artist named John Taylor, the portrait -- the first painting presented to the gallery when it opened in 1856 -- forms the center of the “Searching for Shakespeare” exhibition, which opens in London today.