Michel Rigo (1772 – 1815) was an artist from Genoa who accompanied the French army under Napoleon Bonaparte in their campaign in Egypt and Syria in 1798.
"[1] In the early 1800s, a number of paintings depicting Napoleon's campaign in Egypt and Syria were displayed at the Parisian Salon.
Well-known examples include Louis-François Lejeune's Battle of the Pyramids and Antoine-Jean Gros’ Bonaparte Visiting the Plague Victims of Jaffa.
[4] While in Egypt, Napoleon commissioned Rigo to paint a series of portraits of Arab sheikhs who had served in the French puppet government - the Divan.
"[5] When Rigo returned to Europe, he was admitted as a founding member of the Institut d'Égypt's arts and letters division on 22 August 1798.