Dirk Valkenburg was born in Amsterdam in 1675. He studied Michel van Musscher which likely explains his specialization in portraits. He was also a pupil of Jan Weenix, which, in turn, accounts for his skill in still life paintings, particularly his game pieces. He is best known for his sojourn to the Dutch colony of Surinam in South America. The wealthy Amsterdam merchant and plantation owner Jonas Witsen engaged Valkenburg in 1706 to travel to Surinam to record the flora and fauna of the plantation. Few works from this trip survive, but they are regarded as crucially important, especially today as increased focus is placed on the Dutch colonial enterprise. Valkenburg returned to Amsterdam in 1707, where he died in 1721.