Lot Essay
Known primarily for his etchings after other artists, his landscape paintings and his position as professor at the Amsterdam Rijksacademie, Dake's large figure pieces are relatively rare. The present lot must therefore be regarded as a unique statement of the artist's mastery in capturing full-length figures in the style of amongst others Ernst Witkamp (1854-1897) (see Christie's Amsterdam, 29 oktober 1997, lot 418). Dake's gitana resembles Witkamp's portrayal in the sense that the present lot's composition is also characterized by a dark dressed figure standing against a light, blank background.
See colour illustration
See colour illustration