Artwork
Catherine Manners, Duchess of Buckingham
Catherine Manners, Duchess of Buckingham is an ink print by the Baroque artist Magdalena van de Passe. It dates from 1622 and is held in the collection of the National Gallery of Art.
About this work
Overview
This 1622 engraving, executed by Magdalena van de Passe, portrays Catherine Manners, Duchess of Buckingham. Rendered in black ink on paper, the image presents the noblewoman in a dark, textured backdrop that isolates her figure. The composition emphasizes her refined attire and composed demeanor, typical of early‑17th‑century portraiture.
Subject & Meaning
The sitter is shown with short, wavy hair, a high neckline, and a ruffled collar, all elements that signal aristocratic fashion of the period. Her dark dress, accented with lace and a decorative brooch, conveys status and modesty, while the restrained expression suggests the dignified bearing expected of a duchess.
Technique & Style
Van de Passe employs fine line work to delineate the folds of fabric and the subtle texture of hair, achieving a tactile quality within the limits of engraving. The contrast between the richly detailed foreground and the uniformly dark background creates visual focus on the subject, a hallmark of the Dutch‑German print tradition.
History & Provenance
Created in 1622, the print reflects Magdalena van de Passe’s active career in the early modern print market, where portrait engravings circulated among elite patrons. While specific ownership records are scarce, the work has been catalogued among the van de Passe family’s oeuvre and appears in several collections of 17th‑century English portrait prints.
Artist & collection
Walter Devereux, First Earl of Essex
Thomas Cromwell, Earl of Essex
Alexander Nowell, Dean of Saint Paul's
Elizabeth's Tomb
Thomas Holland, Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford, and Rector of Exeter College
Sir Nicholas Bacon, Lord Keeper
Nicholas Ridley, Bishop of London, Protestant Martyr
Ambrose Dudley, Earl of Warwick
