Maurits Willem van der Valk was a Dutch artist who was born in Amsterdam on 16 December 1857, he died in Laren (North Holland) on 6 May 1935. Maurits van der Valk lived and worked in Amsterdam, France (1890-1893), Amsterdam (1893-1902), Scherpenzeel (after 1903), Amersfoort (1905), Leiden (1909-1919), Vreeland (until 1920), Laren (North Holland) 1920. Van der Valk studied at the Rijksakademie in Amsterdam between 1878 and 1884. He was a painter, draughtsman, etcher and lithographer. Among his subjects were figures, horses, landscapes, still lifes and cityscapes. In 1880, he established, along with fellow students, the Amsterdam art society Sint Lucas. He was also a member of the art society “Arti et Amicitiae” in Amsterdam.