Bernard Te Gempt
Batenburg 1826 – Amsterdam 1879

A Recumbent Great Dane
signed Bte. Gempt. and inscribed a S.G. Prosch. in the lower left

oil on canvas

44 x 56 inches (111.75 x 142.25 cm.)

LITERATURE: This will be included and illustrated in the revised forthcoming publication by William Secord of Dog Painting 1840-1940, A social history of dog in art, scheduled for release in 2008.

Bernard te Gempt was known for his paintings of animals, particularly of dogs and especially pets. He studied under Johannes Franciscus Christ (1790 – 1845) in Nijmegan and Nicolaas Pieneman (1809 – 1860) in Amsterdam. From 1846 onwards Te Gempt worked in Amsterdam. He became a member of the Royal Amsterdam Academy in 1850 and exhibited in Amsterdam and the Hague from 1846 to 1878. His works can be found in the Amsterdam Historical Museum; Stedlijk Museum, Amsterdam; Stedelijk Museum Het Catharina Gasthuis, Gouda; Museum Bisdom van Vliet, Haastrecht; as well as a similar monumental work of a single dog, a St. Bernard, in the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam. ¹

In this work Te Gempt has beautifully portrayed a Great Dane besides a saddle, riding crop with silver handle and silver spurs. The Great Dane originated in Germany where it is known as the Deutsche Dogge or German Mastiff. During the middle ages they were referred to as Boarhounds and were used to hunt boars and wild stags wearing protective armor of strong, padded coats studded with spikes. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries they were greatly prized by German princes as well as the nobility and were called Kammerhunde (dogs of the chamber). During the nineteenth century a Great Dane was presented to the King of Naples which was believed to be the largest dog in the world, standing four feet high at the shoulder. They are known to have accompanied their masters to war, and a tapestry depicting the Siege of Blenheim shows Lord Cadogan with his Great Dane.² Revered as majestic, intelligent, powerful yet gentle and affectionate companions, Te Gempt’s work incorporates and displays these notable characteristics.

¹ Biographical informatiom taken from Pieter A. Scheen, “Bernard te Gempt” in Lexicon Nederlandse Beeldende Kunstenaars 1750-1880, Herzien Door P. Scheen, ’s-Gravenhage, 1981, pp. 162-163 and Jean-Marie Duvosquel & Philippe Cruysmons, “Bernard te Gempt,” in Dictionary of Belgian and Dutch Animal Painters Born Between 1750 and 1880, Berko, Knokke-Zoute, 1998, p. 252.
² William Secord, Dog Painting, The European Breeds, Antique Collector’s Club Ltd., Woodbridge, Suffolk, 2000, pp. 65-66.

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