James I, Anne of Denmark, and Prince Charles
1551 to 1600
Medium
engraving pulled from silver medal engraved by the artist
Dimensions
plate: 6 × 4.8 cm (2 3/8 × 1 7/8 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1943.3.9278
Art Historical Context
This delicate engraving, titled *James I, Anne of Denmark, and Prince Charles*, captures the Stuart royal family in intimate profile by Dutch artist Simon de Passe. Created as a print pulled from a silver medal engraved by the artist himself, it exemplifies the miniaturist precision of early 17th-century portraiture. Measuring just 6 × 4.8 cm, the plate's small scale highlights de Passe's mastery of fine lines and intricate detailing, techniques honed in the Northern Renaissance tradition of reproductive prints. Dating to the late 16th or early 17th century (within the 1551–1600 range noted),...
About the Artist
Simon de Passe · 1590–1647
Simon de Passe (c. 1595–1647), born in Cologne to the renowned Dutch engraver and publisher Crispijn van de Passe the Elder and his wife Magdalene, grew up in a family dynasty of printmakers who had fled Antwerp due to religious persecution as Anabaptists. The second son among five siblings—four of whom became engravers, including brothers Crispijn II and Willem, and sister Magdalena—he trained un...