Newly Discovered Portrait Sparks Debate Over Shakespeare’s Alleged Gay Lover

The academic and queer worlds are abuzz following the authentication of a previously unknown portrait miniature that scholars believe may depict William Shakespeare’s long-rumored male muse and possible lover—Henry Wriothesley, the third Earl of Southampton. This discovery, announced in early September 2025, has added new depth and controversy to longstanding discussions about the Bard’s sexuality and the real-life inspiration behind his most intimate sonnets .

The portrait, painted by famed Elizabethan miniaturist Nicholas Hilliard, measures just over two inches tall but is heavy with implications. It shows Wriothesley with long, flowing blond hair, a single pearl earring, and a richly embroidered floral “night jacket”—all elements that underscore his celebrated androgynous beauty. The subject’s pose—clutching his own hair to his chest—has been described by art historians as strikingly intimate and even erotic by the standards of the Elizabethan era .

University of Warwick art historian Dr. Elizabeth Goldring, who authenticated the portrait, explained the significance: “Miniatures are very personal, private intimate images often worn on the body close to the heart and were frequently exchanged as love tokens” . Goldring emphasized that the portrait’s androgynous presentation and the emotional intensity of its details suggest it was created for someone with a deeply personal connection to the subject—perhaps even a lover.

It is the back of the miniature, however, that has electrified scholars. Originally featuring a red heart sourced from a playing card, the reverse has been painted over with a black arrow or spear—an element echoing the spear found on Shakespeare’s own coat of arms .

Dr. Goldring noted, “It’s really extraordinary, and I’ve never come across anything like it before. Common sense would suggest that the defacing probably occurred relatively early in its history—it’s such a visceral, violent reaction that it seems someone only with a connection to the subject would have done it” .

Experts interpret the defaced heart as a symbol of heartbreak or emotional rupture, possibly marking the end of a romantic relationship. The spear, a direct allusion to Shakespeare, further fuels speculation that the playwright himself was responsible for the alteration or that the portrait was returned to him as a token of a broken bond.

The connection between Shakespeare and Wriothesley is not just visual or material but deeply literary. Wriothesley was the dedicatee of Shakespeare’s poems “Venus and Adonis” (1593) and “The Rape of Lucrece” (1594), works that established the Earl as the Bard’s first patron. Many literary scholars argue that Wriothesley is also the “Fair Youth” addressed in Shakespeare’s Sonnets—a sequence of verses filled with longing, affection, and beauty, and widely interpreted as expressions of romantic love between men .

For queer historians and advocates, the portrait offers more than just biographical intrigue; it represents a powerful symbol of queer history’s persistence and visibility. Saraya Haddad, a doctoral researcher at the Shakespeare Institute in Stratford-upon-Avon, told PinkNews: “This finding reveals the possibility that they could have been lovers. It’s a reminder that LGBTQ+ relationships have always existed, even if they were hidden or coded in history” .

While the portrait’s details and provenance are well documented—the work was held in a private family collection before its recent sale and authentication—scholars remain cautious. Dr. Goldring and other experts emphasize that while the evidence is suggestive, it does not constitute irrefutable proof of a romantic or sexual relationship between Shakespeare and Wriothesley. Instead, it opens new avenues for research and conversation.

As Dr. Goldring stated: “There is no explicit evidence in the historical record that confirms they were lovers, but the circumstantial details, both literary and artistic, are compelling and deserve close study” .