Kwitantie voor Frans Buffa en Zonen Possibly 1874

Here is a receipt by Willem Maris, likely from 1874, acknowledging payment from Frans Buffa en Zonen for a watercolor. Frans Buffa & Sons was a well-known art dealership in Amsterdam, which played a crucial role in the Dutch art market. Maris, as part of the Hague School, was deeply embedded in a cultural movement that sought to capture the authentic Dutch landscape and the everyday life of its people. The very act of creating watercolors and selling them through established dealers reflects the professionalization of art and the rising status of artists within Dutch society. The exchange between artist and dealer speaks to the economic structures that supported the art world and the relationship between artistic production and commercial value. Receipts like this one, while seemingly mundane, offer a glimpse into the complex web of social and economic relations.