Shields of Frederick V, Elizabeth, and Prince Frederick Henry
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
1943.3.9285
Art Historical Context
Behold the intricate *Shields of Frederick V Elizabeth, and Prince Frederick*, a delicate engraving by Simon de Passe, a masterful Dutch artist active from the late 16th to early 17th century. Created between 1551 and 1600, this—pulled directly from a silver engraved by the artist himself—measures just 6 × 4.8 cm, inviting close inspection of its fine details. As a print classified in the National Gallery of Art's Rosen Collection, it exemplifies the technical precision of Renaissance engraving, where de Passe's burin carved heraldic shields into metal, capturing emblems of nobility with crisp...
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...