Guillaume Kemp, Pair of Corner Cabinets, Paris, 1780s

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Guillaume Kemp, Pair of Corner Cabinets, Paris, 1780s

About the Item

Guillaume Kemp - Pair of Corner Cabinets, Paris, 1780s. Made of walnut; possibly also rosewood/palisander. Signed "G. KEMP" (see photos). Lateral square feet. Frame with apron and appliquéd gilded ornament. Semicircular curved front with two doors. Fine, veneer picture mirrored in the shape of a cloverleaf and band inlays all around. Richly ornamented, fire-gilded key plates. Gilding applied to the sides of the head. Slightly protruding, profiled top plate of white marble veined in grey. Interior with two shelves each. The locks and fittings are original. Outstanding workmanship, rare, authentic collector's items of the best museum quality. These corner cabinets were created by Guillaume Kemp, a Paris-based cabinetmaker and ébéniste. He was born in Bonn, Germany, as Wilhelm Kemp and moved early to Paris to the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Antoine. He learned there from the master carpenter Péridiez, whose daughter he married in 1757. In 1764 Guillaume Kemp received his master's certificate and moved to new premises in the Rue de la Roquette in the 11th Paris Arondissement, where he remained until the time of the French Revolution. He received his most important commission in 1786: together with his carpenter colleague Guillaume Beneman, Kemp created an outstanding and large-format desk for King Louis XVI: Beneman produced the furniture body, Kemp created the elaborate and extremely detailed marquetries depicting flowers, fruits, pearls and corals. He used the artistic models of the Dutch painter Gerard van Spaendonck (1746-1822), whose flower still lifes were extremely popular in the French monarchy. At the latest since the royal commission Guillaume Kemp had been established as a first-rate master cabinetmaker throughout France. In the course of his career, Kemp created furniture for renowned families of citizens and nobles in France and other European countries, such as a desk for William Henry Cavendish-Bentinck, who was British Prime Minister, a table for the Comte de Florian, a French diplomat and a variety of furniture for Valdonne Castle (Provence), the ancestral seat of the Gérin-Richard noble family. The Louis Seize corner cupboards will be completely conserved while preserving the patina and restored very carefully. The costs of the restoration are included in the purchase price. (Research and text: Art historian Jens J. Reinke, M.A.) Scholarly literature: Wolfgang L. Eller: Möbel des Klassizismus, Louis XVI und Empire. Munich: Battenberg, 2002 Günther Meißner, K.G. Saur Verlag (Hrsg.): Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon. Die bildenden Künstler aller Zeiten und Völker. München, Leipzig: K.G. Saur, 1996f. [Allgemeines Künstlerlexikon - International Artist's Database - Online via the Publisher DeGruyter, Article: Kemp, G. (1764)] François de Salverte: Les Ébénistes du XVIIIe Siècle. Leurs Œuvres et leurs Marques. Paris: F. de Nobele, 1962, page 179.

Creator:
Guillaume Kemp (Cabinetmaker)
Dimensions:
Height: 32.68 in (83 cm)Width: 29.53 in (75 cm)Depth: 23.63 in (60 cm)
Sold As:
Set of 2
Style:
Louis XVI (Of the Period)
Materials and Techniques:
Walnut
Place of Origin:
France
Period:
1780-1789
Date of Manufacture:
1780s
Condition:
Wear consistent with age and use.
Seller Location:
Kiel, DE
Reference Number:
Seller: DL-ECK6011stDibs: LU4407213952942