Pierre-Désiré Guillemet

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.

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.

[4] In 1864, he accompanied Emmanuel Miller in his quest to collect ancient Greek and Roman antiquities from the European holdings of the Ottoman Empire and transport them to France, the most notable of which was Las Incantadas, a Roman pillared portico with reliefs from Salonica, which they removed to the shock and outrage of the city's population.

[5] 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 school gained recognition from many European artists and had the personal support of Sultan Abdulaziz, who allowed Guillemet to paint the women of his harem.