Sailing ship in the port of Copenhagen is one of the extremely scarce works by Altamura, a short-lived but exceptional seascape painter who by the age of 24 was already an acclaimed and highly paid artist enjoying the full support of the Greek Royal Court.

As noted by E. Kypreou, who included this outstanding painting in the artist's major retrospective at the Benaki museum in 2011, "Altamoura produced only a few works and none of them is mediocre. At a time when an attorney in law was being paid fifteen drachmas for a court appearance, a canvas by Altamoura was purchased by the then Ministry of Marine Affairs for 2,000 drachmas."1

In 1873, Altamoura won a scholarship from King George I that enabled him to pursue gra...