James I, King of England
Medium
Engraving; printed from a medal
Dimensions
Sheet: 2 1/4 × 1 3/4 in. (5.7 × 4.5 cm)
Classification
Prints
Department
Drawings and Prints
Museum
Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, NY
Credit
Gift of Junius Spencer Morgan, 1929
Accession Number
29.102.87(1)
Tags
Art Historical Context
This delicate engraving, titled *James I, King of, Scotland and Ireland*, captures the likeness of the monarch who ruled from 1603 to 1625. Created around 1616 by the skilled Dutch engraver Simon van Passe, it reproduces a medal design, showcasing the artist's mastery of intricate portraiture. At just 2¼ × 1¾ inches, this tiny print was likely produced as an affordable collectible, allowing admirers across Europe to own a regal token of the king whose reign symbolized the union of the English and Scottish crowns. Van de Passe's technique—engraving on a metal plate and printing via intaglio—en...
About the Artist
Simon de Passe|James I, King of England, Scotland and Ireland · 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...