Alexandre Bida

In 1880, the publishing house Hachette decided to produce a third edition of its popular illustrated "Works of William Shakespeare." Bida was commissioned to design the illustrations, having successfully illuminated the Bible and the works of Moliére. The five chalk drawings in the Morgan's collection were preliminary studies that served as the basis for a set of watercolors. Forty watercolors related to the project were sold with Bida's estate in 1896 and are now in the Folger Shakespeare Library, Washington, DC.
In this episode from "The Merchant of Venice" (IV, 1), Bida depicts the trial of Antonio, the titular merchant of Venice, who is taken to court for not repaying a loan to the Jewish moneylender Shylock. The Duke of Venice observes the proceedings from a throne as Shylock whets his knife, preparing to cut out a pound of flesh from Antonio to settle the debt, which was the original terms of the loan. Here, Shylock is addressed by the wealthy heiress Portia, who has disguised herself as the lawyer Balthazar to defend Antonio. She asks Shylock to show mercy, and when he refuses, she argues that Shylock could not possibly remove a pound of flesh from Antonio without shedding blood. Her logical prowess forces Shylock to accept money for the defaulted loan.