Antique Portrait Painting, Extraordinary of Shakespeare With Mechanical Eyes!

Amazing and Dramatic Antique Portrait Painting, Extraordinary off Shakespeare With Mechanical Eyes!

Quite the conversation piece!  

Framed Oil Painting on Masonite – Portrait of William Shakespeare with Mechanical Moving Eyes

Large & Dramatic – Approx. 59" x 43", 38 lbs – Rare Mechanized “Gaze Effect” Panel

This impressive and imposing framed portrait depicts William Shakespeare seated in ornate Elizabethan dress, rendered in rich oil on Masonite and housed in its original heavy, gilt-carved frame. At nearly five feet tall, this piece commands attention instantly—ideal for libraries, studies, theatre rooms, historic interiors, or as a striking set piece.

A unique feature sets this painting apart from traditional portraiture:
the panel contains cut-outs behind the eyes, fitted with inset movable elements designed to follow the viewer around the room.
This tracking gaze effect—famous in haunted houses and mid-century novelty art—adds a theatrical, slightly mysterious character to the work. The frame verso is marked “Pict”, though the maker remains unknown.

The painting looks like it was created first as a traditional portrait, and the mechanized gaze was added after the painting was completed, rather than being designed for it from inception.

Seller:  Old Europe Antiques Home Furnishings