'A thousand moral paintings I can show'

Timon of Athens (Act I, scene 1)

Houses like New Place were full of painted decoration. These paintings were used to send very specific messages about a homeowner. They could be applied onto canvas, linen, wood or straight onto the wall. This example shows the biblical story of Susannah and the Elders, a tale chosen to depict chastity, purity and honour. This particular picture has been painted onto wood. It appears to combine Susanna’s story with the theme of ‘touch’, one of the Five Senses (D. Garrat and T. Hamling eds, 2016: 63). The painting acts as a warning to onlookers, encouraging the avoidance of bodily temptation such as elicit touching. Biblical imagery was commonly used in painted decoration in the 1500s and early 1600s. It was often accompanied by a moralising message and might also be depicted with ‘classical’ subject-matter, like the Five Senses. This combination of religious and classical imagery demonstrated religious devotion as well as a good education. These were essential characteristics for a gentleman like Shakespeare.

Wall paintings were usually applied directly onto a surface, often spanning the space between the floor and the ceiling. The walls of townhouses provided the perfect canvas to display gentry attributes. Painted decoration filled the home with colour and texture.Very few surfaces in a house like New Place remained blank, instead they would have been filled with paintings, textiles, plasterwork and/or panelling. What we think of as dark interior spaces were actually vibrant and bright places. Shakespeare’s home would have been packed full of colour as well as furniture and fixtures.