Passe I, Crispijn van de

The van de Passe or de Passe family was a dynasty of Dutch engravers, started by Crispijn the Elder, comparable to the Wierix family and the Sadelers, though mostly at a more mundane commercial level. Most of their engravings were portraits, book title-pages, and the like, with relatively few grander narrative subjects. As with the other dynasties, their style is very similar, and hard to tell apart in the absence of a signature or date, or evidence of location. Many of the family members produced their own designs, and have left drawings.