Ivan Konstantinovich Aivazovsky (1817–1900) was a renowned Russian Romantic painter celebrated for his mastery of marine art. Born Hovhannes Aivazian into an Armenian family in Feodosia, Crimea, he received his education at the Imperial Academy of Arts in Saint Petersburg before traveling to Europe, notably Italy, in the early 1840s. Returning to Russia, he became the principal painter of the Russian Navy, enjoying close ties with the military and political elite. Aivazovsky's prolific career spanned almost six decades, during which he produced approximately 6,000 paintings, predominantly seascapes but also encompassing battle scenes, Armenian subjects, and portraiture. His works are admired worldwide and are prominently displayed in museums across Russia, Ukraine, Armenia, and Turkey, as well as in private collections.