Interactive Section

Giuseppe Castiglione (1688-1766) was an Italian Jesuit missionary who came to China to preach in the eighteenth century. From 1715 to 1766, Castiglione, assuming the role of a painter, created numerous remarkable works for the Qing court. To accommodate the emperor's artistic preferences, Castiglione tried to blend the style of Western painting with Chinese painting, thereby pioneering a new artistic style.

"Gathering of Auspiciousness" is the earliest chronological work of Castiglione. In the painting, plants with auspicious meanings, such as lotus and grain, are gathered to extol the emperor's political achievements and virtues. In terms of color, light and shade, and composition, it clearly integrates the artistic elements of Western painting.

During the reign of Qianlong, Castiglione (1688-1766) was often commissioned to collaborate with court painters on large-scale works. These paintings were primarily executed by Castiglione, while others were responsible for filling in the background.

"Peacock Spreading Its Tail Feather" is one such collaborative work. Castiglione and other painters sketched the peacock, a rare and exotic creature offered as tribute from a foreign land, and then created this magnificent flower and bird painting.

Giuseppe Castiglione was skilled at painting subjects such as figures, flowers, and animals. This artwork, titled "Pair of Cranes in the Shade of Flowers," is one of his important works in the realm of flower and bird paintings.

In the painting, we can observe a pink rose as the centerpiece, with a red-crowned crane standing on each side. On the right, one crane is seen turning its head to groom its feathers, while the other slightly bows its head, creating a visual harmony with two young cranes on the ground whose wings have not fully developed.

In terms of artistic technique, Giuseppe Castiglione incorporates realistic techniques from Western painting into traditional Chinese art, resulting in lifelike depictions of the flora and fauna in the artwork.

This hanging scroll portrays the season of spring, with a pair of colorful golden pheasant perched on the rocks by the stream's slope.

The painting is filled with blooming flowers, birds, Lingzhi mushrooms, and bamboo branches, all symbolizing auspiciousness and longevity.

Giuseppe Castiglione, along with other Jesuit missionary painters, was commissioned to create numerous lifelike paintings of rare birds and exotic animals presented as tributes from various regions to the imperial court. In 1751, Minister Fu Heng presented a white falcon as a tribute to the emperor. Emperor Qianlong then assigned Lang Shin-ning, known for his expertise in painting birds of prey, to create a lifelike study and artwork of the falcon.

In the painting, we can see the white falcon sitting on a pine tree trunk. The white color of the falcon symbolizes auspiciousness and good fortune, while the pine tree has the meaning of longevity. It is worth noting that this painting is a collaborative piece, with the main subject (the white falcon) painted by Castiglione, and the background scenery (pine trees, waterfalls) is supplemented by other court painters, showing the exchange between Chinese and Western painters combined.

This painting is a traditional Chinese painting theme, "swimming fish and aquatic algae in the Pond." The fish in the painting are depicted using Castiglione's skillful technique of three-dimensional realism, showcasing the texture of fish scales and skin.

The upper edge of the painting features a pattern of leaf motifs, indicating that it might have been initially intended as a wall-hanging painting in the palace and later mounted in the shape of a hanging scroll.

The book consists of a total of sixteen pages, featuring various types of flowers, plants, birds, and other subjects as its main themes.

The coloring and composition throughout the book are exquisite, showcasing innovative techniques. The paintings within the book demonstrate a fusion of traditional Chinese painting methods and Western realistic techniques, making it an important piece that harmoniously blends Eastern and Western artistic styles.

This is the only fan painting by Giuseppe Castiglione in the collection of the National Palace Museum. The fan surface is made of black-colored paper. One side features Giuseppe Castiglione's colorfully painted flowers, birds, insects, and rocks, with the inscription "Painted respectfully by minister Giuseppe Castiglione" in regular script. The other side showcases the F from Zhang Ruoxuan's cursive script calligraphy work "Tang Ren Yue Yi Tie" (Lunar Calendar of Tang Dynasty) with the inscription "Respectfully witnessed by Zhang Ruoxuan."