Condemnation

Ten Kate Herman Frederik Carel was born on February 16 in 1822 The Hague, The Netherlands. He was a Dutch artist known for his paintings of historical genre with emphasis on military figures. He was also known for his watercolours, drawings and prints. During his lifetime he was an extremely successful and popular artist. He was best known for his paintings of Cavaliers in all types of situations. The high quality of his work and the type of life he portrayed made his paintings widely sought after.

He worked in The Hague until 1867, in Amsterdam in 1868, he travelled to Belgium, Germany, Italy and  France. He studied under master teacher Cornelis Kruseman and attended the Royal Academy of Art in The Hague. In 1847 he became a member of the Royal Academy in Amsterdam. He was also a member of the Rotterdam Academy from 1856 and for many years the Chairman of ‘Arti et Amicitiae’ in Amsterdam.

The influence of the Dutch Golden Age painter Frans Hals (1582 – 1666) is clear in his work. He was obviously influenced by artists such as Dirck Hals (1591 – 1656), Pieter Codde (1599 – 1678) and Jakob Duck (1600 – 1667); however Adriaen van Ostade (1610 – 1685), who also worked with Frans Hals, appears to have had the greatest impact on him. He was a storyteller as was Ten Kate and they both used rich colours and good composition to depict the scenes they were painting. Equally important, as far as subject matter is concerned, was the influence of Ernest Meissonier (1815 – 1891), who was painting a similar type of subjects at that time in France.

Ten Kate died there on March 26 in 1891 in his hometown. Today, his painting can be found in important private collections and public collections, including at Rijksmuseum, Historical Museum, Rijksprentenkabinet, Stedelijke Museum, Willet-Holthuysen Museum in Amsterdam, Dordrecht, The Hague, Haarlem, Kampen, Leeuwarden, Rotterdam, Schiedam, Bury Art Museum, Manchester Art Gallery, The New Art Gallery Walsall, Newport Museum, Sheffield Museum, Stockport Heritage Services, St Petersburg Heritage Museum, Touchstones Rochdale and the Wolverhampton Art Gallery.