Brief aan Philip Zilcken Possibly 1892

This is an undated letter written by Matthijs Maris to Philip Zilcken. It is held at the Rijksmuseum. Maris, who lived through a period of immense social and political change in Europe, was a Dutch painter known for his atmospheric and dreamlike paintings. Letters such as these offer us a glimpse into the intimate dialogues between artists and their patrons in a rapidly changing world. Zilcken, also a Dutch artist, would have been part of Maris's social circle. It is likely they met in the art scene. These letters reveal the dynamics of artistic patronage, where relationships were built and sustained through written correspondence. There is something incredibly powerful about the physicality of a letter. It becomes a tangible connection to the past. What sentiments did Maris seek to convey through his handwritten words? In these handwritten words can we find echoes of friendship, artistic exchange, and the complex social networks that sustained the art world during Maris's time?