Mesdag frequently bought paintings by befriended artists. This was the case for Jacob Maris’ Windmill. However, he did not purchase it directly from his friend but through Goupil, the Hague art dealer who had the exclusive right to sell Maris’ work.
Windmills were a familiar subject in Dutch painting already in the 17th century. In the 19th century Jacob Maris was one of the Hague School painters who perpetuated and elaborated on this theme. The windmill in this work has no counterpart in reality: it is a composite of several windmills that Maris saw on his walks in the polders.
