Crispijn de Passe the Elder

Artist associated with 37 portraits
A Dutch engraver, draughtsman and publisher. He began work in Antwerp; forced to leave because of his Anabaptist faith he settled in 1589 in Cologne. He set up a print publishing house, producing portraits of the European nobility, as well as religious, mythological and allegorical prints and books. In 1611, he and his family were exiled from Cologne and took refuge in Utrecht. With the assistance of his children, he soon started another prosperous business. He produced prints for the English market in co-operation with the London bookseller and publisher Hans Woutneel. Four of his children, Crispijn the Younger, Simon, Willem and Magdalena, became professional engravers.