Guiseppe Castigleone's influence to Chinese court paintings

Items

• Xian'e Changchun Album - Lotus and Butterfly
  Lang Shining was an Italian who entered the Jesuit order as a novitiate at the age of 19. He studied both painting and architecture. He arrived in China at the age of 27 and came to serve the Ch’ing court as a painter. He excelled at painting figures, birds and flowers, and especially dogs and horses. This is the 13th leaf from his Album of Flowers. Colorful lotus blossoms bend gently in the breeze and form a companion for the caladium water plant for a full, rich scene. Butterflies fly among them to add a fresh, cool touch to the scene. The artist fused Chinese and Western techniques. The use of Western colors, in addition to Western chiaroscuro and perspective, make for a dedicated scene that is life-like and richly colored.
• Xian'e Changchun Album - Bean Flower and Wheat
  This album consists of sixteen leaves divided among blossoms of the four seasons and scattered with rocks, birds, insects, and other plants. The subjects appear to have been taken from scenes in the imperial gardens, and all of them appear to have been meticulously arranged. The placement of the main and subsidiary subjects is also rendered perfectly and the coloring is gorgeous, making this work a masterpiece synthesizing the best of Chinese and Western painting traditions.
• Xian'e Changchun Album - Bamboo and morning glory
  This album consists of sixteen leaves divided among blossoms of the four seasons and scattered with rocks, birds, insects, and other plants. The subjects appear to have been taken from scenes in the imperial gardens, and all of them appear to have been meticulously arranged. The placement of the main and subsidiary subjects is also rendered perfectly and the coloring is gorgeous, making this work a masterpiece synthesizing the best of Chinese and Western painting traditions.
• Ten Dogs Depiction, Spotted Magpie
  The painter is especially well-known for his rendering of figures, flowers, birds and loger-than-life size horses and dogs. His distinctive style mode use of Chinese tools and materials to paint largely Chinese motivfs. The results were more emphatically realistic than the native Chinese tradition.
• Ten Dogs Depiction, Frost Harrier
  This work depicts a frosty-colored hunting dog standing on a slope under white plum blossoms. Being nimble, it was named "Sparrow Hawk," hence the title here. Castiglione combined the tools and materials of Chinese painting with Western perspective and chiaroscuro for naturalism also expressing spirit. The opulent colors and forms thus make for a realistic effect. (20120102)
• A Brocade of Spring Radiance
  In this painting is a mountain stream flowing down to where pheasants and decorative rocks are seen. By and on the rocks are various flowers, bamboo, and spirit fungi. The subject matter is auspicious for the start of a prosperous New Year and an allusion to the expression “A Brocade of Spring Radiance”－hence, the title of this painting.
• Xian'e Changchun Album - Cherry Apple & Magnolia
  This album consists of sixteen leaves divided among blossoms of the four seasons and scattered with rocks, birds, insects, and other plants. The subjects appear to have been taken from scenes in the imperial gardens, and all of them appear to have been meticulously arranged. The placement of the main and subsidiary subjects is also rendered perfectly and the coloring gorgeous, making this work a masterpiece synthesizing the best of Chinese and Western painting traditions. Selected for exhibit here are the fourth leaf on the subject of crab apple and magnolia blossoms along with the sixth leaf rendering yellow rose and bleeding heart blossoms. The signature on this album done in Sung-script style suggests it was done by Giuseppe Castiglione sometime between his arrival in China around 1715 and the early Ch’ien-lung reign (1736-1795).
• Xian'e Changchun Album - Chrysanthemum
  This album consists of sixteen leaves divided among blossoms of the four seasons and scattered with rocks, birds, insects, and other plants. The subjects appear to have been taken from scenes in the imperial gardens, and all of them appear to have been meticulously arranged. The placement of the main and subsidiary subjects is also rendered perfectly and the coloring gorgeous, making this work a masterpiece synthesizing the best of Chinese and Western painting traditions. Selected for exhibit here are the fourth leaf on the subject of crab apple and magnolia blossoms along with the sixth leaf rendering yellow rose and bleeding heart blossoms. The signature on this album done in Sung-script style suggests it was done by Giuseppe Castiglione sometime between his arrival in China around 1715 and the early Ch’ien-lung reign (1736-1795).