Oktober: paar uit Duitsland - Crispijn van de Passe (II)

A seventeenth-century engraving by Crispijn van de Passe (II) depicting a German couple, representing the month of October and the autumn harvest.

This engraving by Crispijn van de Passe (II) depicts a couple from Germany, representing the month of October. The work belongs to a series of prints illustrating the months of the year through regional costumes and seasonal activities. The male figure wears a wide-brimmed hat, a doublet, and a cloak, while the female figure is dressed in a gown with a ruff collar, holding a bunch of grapes. The inclusion of grapes serves as a visual reference to the autumn harvest and wine production, which is further suggested by the Latin inscription at the base of the print. The background features a modest structure and a hilly terrain, providing a sense of place without distracting from the figures.

Van de Passe (II) was a member of a prominent family of Dutch engravers and publishers. His technique demonstrates the precision characteristic of seventeenth-century printmaking, using cross-hatching and varied line weights to define the textures of the clothing and the contours of the figures. The composition is balanced, with the two figures facing one another in a formal, static pose. The zodiac symbol for Scorpio is placed in the upper left corner, a common convention in calendar-themed prints of this period. The work provides a glimpse into the fashion and social observations of the early seventeenth century, captured through the medium of copperplate engraving. The print is a clean example of the period's interest in documenting regional identities and the cyclical nature of the calendar year.