Portret van Willem Dubbelens

About this artwork

Legaat van de heer F.G. Waller, Amsterdam

Art Historical Context

This striking portrait on paper, created sometime between 1740 and 1774 by Dutch artist Pieter Anthony Wakkerdak, captures Willem Dubbelens with a refined sensitivity typical of 18th-century European portraiture. Rendered in a medium that lends itself to delicate line work and subtle tonal effects, the drawing measures 368 by 278 millimeters and reflects the period’s interest in personal likenesses that conveyed both status and character. Such works on paper were often valued for their immediacy and portability, allowing artists to explore expressive details that larger canvases might overlook. The piece holds added historical interest through its provenance. It entered the collection as part of a generous bequest from Amsterdam collector F.G. Waller, underscoring how private donations have long enriched public institutions with intimate glimpses of the past. Wakkerdak’s portrait thus serves not only as a record of an individual but also as a window into the social and artistic circles of the Dutch Republic in the mid-1700s.

About the Artist

Pieter Anthony Wakkerdak · 1729–1774

Pieter Anthony Wakkerdak (1729–1774) was a Dutch printmaker, painter, draughtsman, publisher, and poet whose brief but productive career exemplified the versatility expected of 18th-century Dutch artists. Born on June 14, 1729, in Rotterdam and dying on November 28, 1774, in Delft at just forty-five years old, Wakkerdak worked across multiple media including mezzotint (black art), oil painting, en...