Ludwig des Coudres

Ludwig des Coudres (10 May 1820, Kassel - 23 December 1878, Karlsruhe) was a German history and portrait painter.

A family friend, Ludwig Hummel (1770-1840), Director of the Kunsthochschule Kassel, inspired him to begin drawing and painting.

Dissatisfied with the school's emphasis on the Nazarene style, he and two of his friends left to start their own studio and teach themselves.

Shortly after, he had a change of heart and went to study at the Academy of Fine Arts, Munich, with Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld.

In 1854, with Schirmer's recommendation, he became the first director of the Academy in Karlsruhe, organizing its operations and establishing the curriculum.