VIEW OF CONSTANTINOPLE

Painter of landscapes, harbour scenes and seascapes; watercolourist and draughtsman.

Born in Paris on August 15, 1802 and deceased in Boulogne-sur-Seine in 1880, Théodore Gudin studied at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts under Anne-Louis Girodet-Trioson. He was subsequently influenced by the Romantic School.

He exhibited at the London Royal Academy. He was awarded medals in 1824, 1848 and 1855 and the Légion d’Honneur in 1841, becoming an Officer of the Légion in 1841 and a Commander in 1855.

Gudin was made the official painter of the Royal French Navy and joined the expedition to Alger. He was made a Baron by Louis-Philippe, who ordered many paintings for the museum in Versailles. He also executed many paintings for the king’s household and worked for the Duke of Orléans and many other aristocrats in France and elsewhere.