Philip Zilcken was born in The Hague and was a student of Anton Mauve. From 1918 he spent several months each year in the south of France, from where he also traveled to Italy and North Africa. In addition to Dutch landscapes, still lifes and portraits, he also painted many landscapes and cityscapes in Egypt, Venice and Algiers, where he painted landscapes and cityscapes. In addition to being a painter, he also became widely known for his art criticism in Elsevier's Monthly Journal and as a graphic artist.