Mayor Sebastiaan Mattheus Sigismund Modderman (1893-1899)

About this artwork.

The painting, dating from 1900, is part of the series of mayor portraits of the municipality of Groningen. The Moddermanlaan is named after him, but there is not much more that reminds us of this man who was part of the college of mayor and aldermen for no less than 36 years.

Sebastiaan Mattheus Sigismund Modderman (1820 - 1900) comes from a family of lawyers and politicians. Entirely in line with the family tradition, the young Modderman went on to study law at the university and obtained his doctorate in 1844 with a dissertation on the endorsement of bills of exchange. Two years later, Modderman was appointed state lawyer. In 1862 Modderman's political career began in the Provincial Council of Groningen. In 1864 he became a councilor and immediately during his first session as a councilor – on April 23, 1864 – Modderman was elected alderman. It is the start of a long career, in which he experienced a total of four mayors. He also acted regularly as acting mayor in the years 1880-1893. In 1893 Modderman himself became mayor of the city. He was cautious from a financial point of view, apart from the start of construction of the new Academic Hospital, hardly any major works were completed. He did, however, speak admonishing words to the socialist Schaper, who appeared on the council in 1897. In 1899 he was reappointed, but a week later he turned out to be ill. In January 1900 Modderman resigned.

The mayor's portrait was an assignment by the city council in 1900 given to painter Jozef Israëls (1824 - 1911). Modderman did not see the work completed, he died a few months later. The portrait was probably donated by the family after Modderman's death; in 1907 it was already present in the college of mayor and aldermen room, according to a photo of that room in the municipal archives.

The painter, Jozef Israëls grew up in Groningen and took drawing and painting lessons at the Minerva Academy from the age of eleven and also made etchings, lithographs and wrote. Experts describe Israel's — like H.W. Mesdag – as an icon of the Hague School. Even though they left the city on their way to international fame, they knew where they came from and continued to feel that bond with Groningen.

Israëls is said to be devoted to portraying human figures in his characteristic environment. Scenes that made him known were the images of deep human compassion, sorrow and sad loneliness. He had an open mind and his great interest in new expressions in literature and the visual arts did not go unnoticed. His working method was widely imitated in the nineteenth century, both by Dutch painters such as Van Gogh and Mondriaan, and by foreign painters such as Max Liebermann.

Abraham Hesselink made a monument in memory of the painter, based on a well-known painting by Israëls called Langs moeders graf from 1856. The statue was placed at the Hereplein in Groningen.

Facts & Figures.

• Artist(s)
  Jozef Israels

• Year of creation
  1900

• Dimensions (in cm)
  106x85

• Collection
  Town Hall Collection

• Technic
  Oil paint on canvas