Born in 1753, Jean-Baptiste Hilaire trained under Jean-Baptiste Leprince (1734-1781), who was himself an artist who traveled widely, passing his fascination with distant lands and the Orient to his student. With the Comte de Choiseul-Gouffier, Hilaire embarked on the ship Atalante in 1776, sailing for Greece and the Bosphorus. Here he drew prolifically, with the principle aim of illustrating the Voyage pittoresque de la Grèce, published by Choiseul-Gouffier. Named ambassador to the Sublime Porte, Choiseul-Gouffier opened up Constantinople to French artists. Hilaire, who made many tours in the region at the request, of the Swedish diplomat Ignatius Mouradgea d’Ohsson (1740-1807). Ignatius wanted him to work on his Tableau Géné...