Giuseppe Castiglione: An Italian Jesuit Painter at the Court of Three Qing Emperors

13 October 2018 - 20 January 2019

Free entry

Giuseppe Castiglione, aka Lang Shining (b. 1688, d. 1766) was a Jesuit missionary who became a court painter and served three Emperors of China’s Qing Dynasty during its zenith. He merged Western Renaissance techniques with Chinese materials and subjects, pioneering a new style of painting. He also successfully combined Western realism with traditional Chinese composition and brushwork.
His work as an artist earned him such favour within the Imperial Court that upon his death he was given an Imperial Funeral in Beijing.
His eight-metre-long One Hundred Horses (or Baijun Tu) is recognised as one of China’s greatest masterpieces. It has been described as ‘an ingenious integration’ of Western and Chinese styles. This exhibition presents 24 reproduction prints of works by Castiglione.
Waikato Museum, in partnership with the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Auckland, offers this rare opportunity to view Castiglione’s unique painting style.

Education programmes are available for this exhibition.

Image: One Hundred Horses, courtesy of the National Palace Museum, in association with the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Auckland