XXXX: Forty Years

Crispijn van de Passe I

National Gallery of Art

This circular print shows a scene outdoors. On the right, a man holding a tall staff and wearing a hat kneels down in front of a child. The man is wearing a collared vest over a shirt with long sleeves and knee-length breeches with tall socks. He uses a tall compass tool to draw a circle on a flat surface. The child uses a pen to write or draw something on a large pad of paper. Between the child and man is an open book. On the left, a woman sits, appearing to sew a piece of cloth on her lap. She wears a gown with large ruffles on the neck and sleeves, and her hair is put in an updo behind her head. Behind them, two other people appear to work on a building on the left. They climb up ladders to reach tall scaffolding, holding bundles on their backs. In the distance, more buildings can be seen spreading across low hills. On the right, a person herds horses up a tall peak, and below that, two people appear to fight with swords in front of another building. In the bottom right, behind the man, is the face of a lion with a long, wavy mane. Around the edge of the circular print is a border with an inscription. The print is on beige, octagonal paper.