Van de Passe family
The Van de Passe family was a cross-generational dynasty of Dutch engravers, publishers, and print designers active across Northern Europe from the late sixteenth to the seventeenth century.
Last updated August 26, 2026
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Overview
The Van de Passe family was a dynasty of Dutch engravers and publishers whose work circulated widely in Europe from the late sixteenth century through the seventeenth century. The family business was founded by Crispijn van de Passe the Elder, who trained and worked in Antwerp before establishing an independent engraving and publishing operation in Cologne in 1589. His career unfolded during the political and religious upheavals of the Dutch Revolt. As an Anabaptist, he faced pressure to relocate, first leaving Cologne for Utrecht after Protestants were expelled in 1611. From Utrecht he continued producing and distributing prints for Dutch, English, and other European markets. The family belonged to a broader group of hereditary printmaking dynasties, comparable to the Wierix and Sadeler families. Their output was commercially oriented rather than dominated by monumental history subjects. Portraits, book title pages, devotional and instructional images, landscapes, and reproductive engravings formed the core of their production. Family members frequently worked from designs by other artists, especially the Antwerp painter Maerten de Vos, while also creating original drawings and compositions. Their ability to combine engraving, publishing, workshop production, and international distribution allowed plates, drawings, and printed impressions to move between cities such as Cologne, Utrecht, London, Paris, Amsterdam, and Copenhagen. Crispijn the Elder's four notable children expanded the family's geographical reach. Simon de Passe worked in England from approximately 1616 and later became royal engraver and medal designer in Copenhagen. He is particularly associated with an early London portrait print of Pocahontas. Crispijn II worked successively in Paris, Utrecht, and Amsterdam and produced some of the family's most ambitious material, including illustrations for Antoine de Pluvinel's royal riding manual and much of Hortus Floridus. Willem de Passe continued the family's English connection, although his surviving output is smaller. Magdalena van de Passe became known for landscape engraving and was one of the most accomplished women printmakers of her generation; after marrying Frederick van Bevervoorden, she largely ceased engraving. The family also contributed to historical and political visual culture. Heroologia Anglica, published in 1620, assembled portraits of sixty-five English figures and involved several members of the family. Crispijn the Elder's print of the Gunpowder Plot conspirators is another well-known example, although the factual basis of its likenesses remains uncertain. Their portrait prints and book illustrations served publishers, collectors, booksellers, and readers across national borders. The dynasty declined after a series of deaths in 1637–1638 left Crispijn II in the Dutch Republic and Simon in Denmark as the principal surviving active members. Crispijn II's later career was less successful, while Crispijn III, a younger descendant and comparatively minor engraver, died in 1678. The family is now principally understood as a historical printmaking dynasty rather than a continuing commercial brand. Works attributed to its members are held in major print collections, including the National Portrait Gallery in London, and catalogues record a substantial body of prints by or after the family.
History
The Van de Passe family emerged from the late-sixteenth-century Dutch and Flemish print world, a commercial environment centered on Antwerp and connected to publishers and markets throughout Europe. Crispijn van de Passe the Elder trained and worked in Antwerp, joining the city's Guild of Saint Luke during the 1584–1585 guild year. He also worked for the Plantin Press and developed expertise in reproductive engraving, particularly after designs by Maerten de Vos. His marriage connected him to de Vos's family network, reinforcing the professional relationships common in early modern workshops. Political conflict and religious persecution shaped the family's movements. The Dutch Revolt disrupted established artistic communities, while Crispijn's Anabaptist faith exposed him to religious danger. He moved to Aachen, but later relocated again when Protestants were expelled. In 1589 he established his own engraving and publishing business in Cologne. In 1611 he was forced to leave Cologne and by about 1612 had settled in Utrecht, which became an important base for his later work and family activity. From Utrecht, the workshop supplied prints to English and other overseas markets, relying on the movement of plates, drawings, paper impressions, and commercial contacts. Crispijn the Elder's children transformed the workshop into a geographically dispersed family enterprise. Simon worked in England from around 1616, participating in London's expanding market for portraits and illustrated publications. He later moved to Copenhagen, where he served as royal engraver and designed medals until his death. His 1616 print of Pocahontas is among the family's most recognizable works. Crispijn II worked in Paris from at least 1617 to 1627, returned to Utrecht between 1630 and 1639, and subsequently operated in Amsterdam. His production included the extensive equestrian project Maneige royal and much of Hortus Floridus, a prominent botanical and horticultural publication. Willem de Passe maintained a connection with England, apparently succeeding Simon there after a period that may have included work in France. He joined the Huguenot church in Threadneedle Street in 1624. Magdalena van de Passe, born in Cologne and later active in Utrecht, specialized in landscapes. Her work demonstrates that the family's practice was not limited to portrait and reproductive engraving. She largely stopped engraving after her 1634 marriage to the artist Frederick van Bevervoorden, although his death in 1636 did not lead to a significant return to the trade. The family's output was generally practical and commercial: portraits, title pages, book illustrations, instructional images, and reproductive prints. This orientation distinguished them from some printmaking dynasties known for more elaborate narrative series, but it also gave their work a broad audience and durable documentary value. Heroologia Anglica, issued in 1620, gathered portraits of sixty-five English notables and involved several members of the family. Their images circulated as visual records of people, events, and texts, often through publishers with international distribution. The family workshop's shared style can make individual attribution difficult. Researchers often depend on signatures, dates, paper evidence, provenance, or the location in which a print was produced. Members also created their own drawings, complicating the simple distinction between reproductive and original printmaking. After the deaths of Crispijn the Elder, Willem, and Magdalena in the period 1637–1638, only Crispijn II in the Dutch Republic and Simon in Denmark remained prominent active members. Crispijn II's later years were comparatively unsuccessful, and Crispijn III represented a less substantial final phase of the dynasty. With Crispijn III's death in 1678, the family ceased to function as a significant continuing printmaking house. Its surviving works remain represented in major print rooms and museum collections, including the National Portrait Gallery in London.
- 1678
Death of Crispijn III
[1]The later-generation engraver Crispijn III died, traditionally treated as the endpoint of the family's significant activity as a printmaking dynasty.
- 1637
Death of Crispijn the Elder
[1]Crispijn the Elder died in Utrecht and was buried on 6 March, marking the end of the founding generation's leadership.
- 1634
Magdalena van de Passe marries Frederick van Bevervoorden
[1]Magdalena married the artist Frederick van Bevervoorden and subsequently largely withdrew from engraving.
- 1624
Simon de Passe becomes royal engraver in Copenhagen
[1]Simon de Passe moved to Copenhagen, where he worked as royal engraver and medal designer until his death.
- 1620
Heroologia Anglica published
[1]Heroologia Anglica presented portraits of sixty-five English notables and involved several members of the Van de Passe family.
- 1616
Simon de Passe produces an early Pocahontas print
[1]Simon de Passe made an early London print depicting Pocahontas, one of the best-known individual works associated with the family.
- 1612
Workshop activity established in Utrecht
[1]By approximately 1612, Crispijn the Elder had established himself in Utrecht, where he produced prints for English and other international markets.
- 1611
Departure from Cologne
[1]Crispijn the Elder left Cologne after Protestants were expelled from the city, continuing the family's pattern of mobility across Northern Europe.
- 1589
Independent publishing and engraving business established in Cologne
[1]After working in Antwerp and moving through the region amid religious and political instability, Crispijn the Elder established his own engraving and publishing operation in Cologne.
- 1584
Crispijn the Elder joins Antwerp's Guild of Saint Luke
[1]Crispijn van de Passe the Elder became a member of Antwerp's artists' guild during the 1584–1585 guild year, confirming his establishment in the city's professional printmaking community.
Products and positioning
A commercially oriented, internationally distributed printmaking and publishing dynasty whose members combined reproductive engraving, portraiture, book illustration, and original design.
Illustrated botanical book
Hortus Floridus
A major botanical and horticultural publication associated chiefly with Crispijn II. The work exemplifies the family's ability to combine detailed engraving with the production and distribution of illustrated books for an international readership.
Portrait print book · 1620
Heroologia Anglica
A 1620 collection containing portraits of sixty-five English notables. Several members of the family contributed to the project, making it an important example of their collaborative workshop practice and their involvement in English-oriented publishing.
Equestrian instructional book
Maneige royal
An illustrated work on royal horsemanship and riding instruction by Antoine de Pluvinel. Crispijn II's engraving work on the publication has been regarded by art historian Arthur M. Hind as the finest achievement of the family dynasty.
Engraving
Portrait engravings
Portraiture was one of the family's principal commercial specialties. Their prints documented rulers, public figures, religious subjects, and English notables, often translating painted or drawn models into reproducible images for publishers and collectors.
Engraving
Landscape engravings
Magdalena van de Passe was particularly associated with landscapes. Her work expanded the family's range beyond portraiture and book illustration and represents an important contribution by a woman artist to early modern printmaking.
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