Thomas Cavendish
published 1598
Medium
engraving
Dimensions
sheet: 13.1 × 9.4 cm (5 3/16 × 3 11/16 in.)
Classification
Department
CG-E
Museum
National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
Credit
Rosenwald Collection
Accession Number
1950.14.271
Art Historical Context
This delicate engraving, *Thomas Cavendish*, captures the likeness of the famed English privateer and explorer (1555–1592), rendered by the skilled Dutch engraver Crispijn Passe I and published in 1598 Measuring just 13.1 × 9.4 cm, this intimate print from the National Gallery of Art Rosenwald Collection exemplifies the portable portraiture that proliferated in late 16th-century Europe, allowing admirers to carry images of heroes in books or albums. Cavendish earned renown during the Elizabethan Age of Exploration as the second Englishman—after Sir Francis Drake—to circumnavigate the globe (1...
About the Artist
Crispijn de Passe I
Crispijn de Passe I, born around 1564 in Arnemuiden, Zeeland, emerged as one of the most influential Dutch engravers and print publishers of his era. He relocated to Antwerp as a youth, where he honed his craft amid the city's vibrant printmaking scene, becoming an independent master in the Guild of Saint Luke by 1584–1585. There, he worked as a reproductive engraver, primarily after designs by pr...