Princess Elizabeth Stuart
c. 1606
Medium
Engraving on paper
Dimensions
Plate: 14.5 × 10.9 cm (5 3/4 × 4 5/16 in.); sheet: 15.7 × 12 cm (6 3/16 × 4 3/4 in.)
Classification
engraving
Department
Prints and Drawings
Museum
Art Institute of Chicago
Accession Number
267682
Art Historical Context
This delicate engraving, *Princess Elizabeth Stuart*, created around 1606 by the renowned Dutch engraver Crispijn van de Passe I, captures the young princess—daughter of the newly crowned King James I of England—at about age ten. Van de Passe, a master of the Northern Mannerist style, was celebrated for his intricate portrait prints that circulated European courts, blending fine detail with elegant poise. Measuring just 14.5 × 10.9 cm on the plate, this small-scale work exemplifies the portability and precision of 17th-century printmaking. Historically, the portrait reflects the Stuart dynast...
About the Artist
Crispijn van de Passe, I · 1565–1637
Crispijn van de Passe the Elder, born around 1564 in the coastal town of Arnemuiden in Zeeland, emerged as a pivotal figure in Northern European printmaking during a turbulent era. He relocated to Antwerp at a young age, the bustling epicenter of engraving, where he trained and worked from 1580 onward, becoming a member of the Guild of Saint Luke in the 1584–1585 guild year. The Spanish siege and ...