Indistinctly signed, lower right With antique 18th century frame Te Gempt was a painter of animals and notably of dog paintings, as is the case with this painting of a shrewd West-Highland Terrier. Te Gempt studied under J.F. Christ in Nijmegen, later from N. Pieneman in Amsterdam. He made a tour through Europe that led him to Belgium, France, Switserland and Italy. From ca 1846 Te Gempt worked in Amsterdam. He became a member of The Royal Amsterdam Academy in 1850 and exhibited in that city and in The Hague from 1846 to 1878. In the last years of his life Te Gempt suffered from seveire depression and he would eventually commit suicide. Work of this artist can be found in the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam (portrait of a Saint Bernard), Stedelijk Museum Amsterdam, University of Amsterdam, Bisdom van Vliet Museum in Haasdrecht, Fodor Museum in Amsterdam.