Buste van Jan Jacob Lodewijk ten Kate (1819-1889), dichter

J.J.L. ten Kate (1819 - 1889). Marble, B. van Hove, 1889. Ten Kate was minister, poet and translator. In 1860, after Marken, Almkerk (Brabant) and Middelburg he was appointed to a parish in Amsterdam. Like many other preachers of the mid-19th century Ten Kate played a prominent role in public life. Ministers of religion considered themselves spokesmen of society. No public celebration would be complete without a festive address by a clergyman. Preachers also formed an important group numerically. Each village had its own minister. They formed a majority in the academic world, too. In Utrecht, for example, where Ten Kate had studied, half of the students were with the theology faculty. This figure was presented to the Rijksmuseum by friends and admirers, among them Nicolaas Beets.