Pierre-Désiré Guillemet
Pierre-Désiré Guillemet (29 March 1827, Lyon – 29 April 1878, Istanbul) was a French history painter. He is primarily known for the Orientalist works he painted during the thirteen years he lived in Istanbul. Biography He was a student at the École Nationale Supérieure des Beaux-Arts de Lyon from 1844 to 1847, followed by studies in Paris with Hippolyte Flandrin. From 1857 to 1863, he regularly exhibited historical scenes and portraits at all the Parisian salons. Until 1869, he made numerous copies of portraits of Napoléon III and the Empress Eugénie for use in various government buildings throughout France. In 1860, together with , he created a full size copy of The Raft of the Medusa by Gericault. It was ordered by Émilien de Nieuwerkerke, Manager of the Louvre, to be loaned for exhibitions, as the original had deteriorated to the point where it was too delicate to move. In 1865, he went to Istanbul, at the request of Sultan Abdulaziz, an enthusiastic admirer of European arts and sciences, to paint his portrait in Western style. The Sultan was sufficiently pleased with it to name Guillemet the "Palace Painter'. He brought his wife there in 1866, and would remain for