Giuseppe Castiglione S.J. (; 19 July 1688 – 17 July 1766), was an Italian Jesuit brother and missionary in China, where he served as an artist at the imperial court of three Qing emperors – the Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong emperors. He painted in a style that is a fusion of European and Chinese traditions.

Early life

Castiglione was born in Milan's San Marcellino district on 19 July 1688. He was educated at home with a private tutor, then a common practice among wealthy families. He also learned to paint under the guidance of a master. In 1707, he entered the Society of Jesus in Genoa aged 19. In 1710, on the way to Lisbon, he passed through Coimbra where he stayed for several years to decorate the chapel of St. Francis Borgia in the Church of the novitiate, today the New Cathedral of Coimbra. He painted several panels in the chapel and a Circumcision of Jesus for the main altar of the same church.

In August 1715, Castiglione arrived in Macau, China, and reached Beijing later in the year. He was presented to the Kangxi Emperor who viewed his painting of a dog, another source said a bird was also painted on the spot on Kangxi's request.

His skill as an artist was appreciated by the Qianlong Emperor, and Castiglione served the Emperor for three decades and was granted increasingly higher official rank within the Qing court.

Castiglione died in Beijing on 17 July 1766. An obituary was personally penned by Qianlong, who also erected a special stone in Castiglione's memory. The project was initiated by Qianlong in 1747 in a garden once used by Yongzheng, with the construction of European-style palaces and gardens, aviaries, a maze, and perspective paintings organized as an outdoor theatrical stage, as well as fountains and waterworks designed by Michel Benoist. Castiglione also created trompe-l'œil paintings on the walls of the palaces.

Publications

Castiglione edited the first Chinese book on Western perspective technique Shixue (視學, "Study of Vision") in collaboration with Nian Xiyao (年希堯) in 1729. The book contains an adaptation of sections of Perspectiva Pictorum et Architectorum by Andrea Pozzo. An expanded edition with additional illustrations was published in 1735.

Style and techniques

thumb|Linear perspective painting by Castiglione. (The [[Old Summer Palace museum collection)]]

Castiglione's style of painting is a unique blend of European and Chinese compositional sensibility, themes, and painting techniques. He adjusted the European style he was trained in to suit Chinese taste; for example, strong shadows used in chiaroscuro techniques were unacceptable in portraiture as the Qianlong Emperor thought that shadows looked like dirt, therefore when Castiglione painted the Emperor, the intensity of the light was reduced so that there was no shadow on the face, and the features were distinct.

The paintings were done on silk, and unlike European painting where mistakes can be reworked, in Chinese painting, where brushwork on silk is almost impossible to be removed, it requires careful and precise painting. The painting needed to be worked out in detail beforehand, which Castiglione did in a preparatory drawing on paper before he traced the design onto silk. It was painted in 1728 for the Yongzheng emperor. Some of the horses are in a 'flying gallop' pose, which had not been done before by European painters.

Castiglione was assisted in many of his paintings by a number of court painters. For example, in the painting Deer Hunting Patrol (哨鹿圖, Shaolutu), he was responsible for painting the portraits of the emperor and other officials on horseback. Other members of the hunting party, the trees and landscape were painted by other court painters in a Chinese style that is distinctly different from Castiglione's.

In 2005, Castiglione became the subject of the television series Palace Artist in China, played by Canadian-Chinese actor Dashan (Mark Rowswell), and broadcast by China Central Television (CCTV).. Castiglione was portrayed by Steven Thomas Boergadine in the TV series Ruyi's Royal Love in the Palace; at the end of the 48th episode, Castiglione is seen painting the emperor and the empress together in one of the few happy episodes of the TV series.

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File:《心写治平》乾隆部分.jpg|心写治平 The Young Qianlong Emperor, 1736

File:清 郎世宁绘《清高宗乾隆帝朝服像》.jpg|清高宗乾隆帝朝服像 The Qianlong Emperor in Court Dress, 1736

File:The Qianlong Emperor in Ceremonial Armour on Horseback.jpg|The Qianlong Emperor in Ceremonial Armour on Horseback, 1758

File:The Qianlong Emperor Viewing Paintings.jpg|郎世宁弘历观画图轴 The Qianlong Emperor Viewing Paintings, c. 1746-50

File:Qianlong emperor hunting.jpg|The Qianlong Emperor chasing a deer on a hunting trip, late 18th century

File:Aquatic Plants and Fish.jpg|画鱼藻 Fish and Aquatic plants, 18th century

File:White Falcon.jpg|白鹘图 White Bird of Prey, after 1751

File:White Falcon by Giuseppe Castiglione.jpg|畫白鷹 White Falcon, 1765

File:A Colorful Spring.jpg|畫錦春圖 Golden Pheasants in Spring, 18th century

<!--File:Cranes under Shadow of Flowers.jpg|花阴双鹤图 Pair of Cranes in the Shade of Flowers-->

File:Peacock Spreads Its Tail.jpg|畫孔雀開屏 Peacock Spreading Its Tail Feathers, 1758

File:The Pine, Hawk and Glossy Ganoderma.jpg|郎世宁嵩献英芝图轴 The Pine, Hawk and Glossy Ganoderma, 1724. Painted in honour of Yongzheng's birthday,

File:Cochin Lemur.jpg|畫交阯果然 Cochin Lemur, 1761

<!--File:White Ape.jpg|郎世宁画白猿图 White Gibbon-->

<!--File:Qianlong collecting lingzhi.jpg|弘历采芝图轴 Qianlong collecting lingzhi-->

File:Ten Prized Dogs 04.jpg|Cangshuiqiu (苍水虬), Chinese greyhound, from 十骏犬图 Ten Prized Dogs Album

File:Dog Under Flowers.jpg|花底仙尨 Long-haired Dog Beneath Blossoms, c. 1727.

File:Auspicious Roe Deer.jpg|画瑞麅 Auspicious Roe Deer, after 1751

File:Horse Hongyuzuo.jpg|Hongyuzuo (红玉座) from 十骏图 Ten Steeds, 1748

File:Horse Chaoni'er.jpg|Chaoni'er (超洱骢) from 爱乌罕四骏图 Four Afghan Steeds

File:Ayusi Assailing The Rebels with a Lance.jpg|畫阿玉錫持矛盪寇圖 Ayusi assailing the rebels with a lance, 1755

File:Langshiming mao.JPG|Ayusi Assailing The Rebels with a Lance, late 1755

File:Flowers in a Vase.jpg|畫瓶花 Vase of Flowers, 18th century

File:Everlasting Spring and Long Life.jpg|郎世宁万寿长春图 Myriad Longevities in an Everlasting Spring

File:Followers in the Vase.jpg|午瑞图 Flowers in the Vase

File:Time-Telling Plant from the West.jpg|畫海西知時草 Time-Telling Plant from the West (Mimosa pudica), 1753

</gallery>

Paintings of Qing campaigns in Xinjiang

<gallery widths="200" heights="200" perrow="5">

File:Storming of the Camp at Gadan-Ola.jpg|"Storming of the Camp at Gädän-Ola", a scroll depicting a raid in 1755 in which the Kalmuk Ayusi, having gone to the Chinese side, attacks Dawa achi's camp on Mount Gadan. Painting by Giuseppe Castiglione

File:Battle of Oroi-Jalatu.jpg|The Battle of Oroi-Jalatu, 1756. Chinese general Zhao Hui attacked the Zunghars at night in present Wusu, Xinjiang. Painting by Giuseppe Castiglione

File:Battle of Tonguzluq.jpg|Battle of Tonguzluq, 1758. General Zhao Hui tries to take Yarkand but is defeated. Painting by Giuseppe Castiglione

File:Battle of Qos-Qulaq.jpg|Battle of Qos-Qulaq, 1759. Chinese General Ming Rui defeats the Khoja army in Qos-Qulaq (north of Kara-Kul, Tajikistan). Painting by Giuseppe Castiglione

File:A Victory Banquet Given by the Emperor for the Distinguished Officers and Soldiers.jpg|A victory banquet given by the emperor to the distinguished officers and soldiers of the Huibu Rebellion (1758-1759). Painting by Giuseppe Castiglione

</gallery>

See also

  • Jean Denis Attiret
  • Louis Antoine de Poirot
  • Giuseppe Panzi
  • Matteo Ricci
  • Ignaz Sichelbarth

Bibliography

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  • Nie Chongzheng, Lang Shining, Beijing 1984.

References

  • Lang Shining and his Painting Gallery at China Online Museum
  • National Palace Museum Taiwan
  • Palace Artist on Mark Rowswell's website
  • 'Immortal Blossoms in an Everlasting Spring'