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Lang Shih-ning (Giuseppe Castiglione, 1688-1766), Ch'ing dynasty
Handscroll, ink and colors on silk, 94.5 x 776.2 cm |
This is an early painting by Giuseppe Castiglione, one of the most famous Europeans in the service of the Ch'ing dynasty court. This handscroll more than seven meters long depicts a scene of taking a herd of horses out to pasture in autumn. The hundred steeds are shown in a variety of poses and activities as they leisurely make their way around the pastures and trees. Castiglione, using refined gradations of light and shadow, has rendered an exceptionally realistic scene. Although the painting compositionally represents a continuation of traditional arrangements of herding horses in Chinese art, the placement and depiction of the trees and landscape elements clearly reveal the deep atmospheric effect often found in Western art. Even the sizes of the horses vary with the distance and are shown in relative proportion. Likewise, the painting method for the distant mountain rocks is distinct from that seen in traditional Chinese brushwork, with layered pigments also seen among the trees. |
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Macang Lays Low the Enemy Ranks |
Lang Shih-ning (Giuseppe Castiglione, 1688-1766), Ch'ing dynasty
Handscroll, ink and colors on paper, 38.4 x 285.9 cm |
Macang was a warrior in the Ch'ing troops honored for his effort in pacifying the Western border regions. Accompanying Vice General Fu Te in a punitive expedition against the Dzungar tribes, he managed to penetrate deep into enemy troops, leaving his horse behind and eventually being wounded in battle. For his efforts, he was promoted to the rank of Guard Commander-general. At the end of this handscroll is a eulogy from the brush of the Ch'ien-lung Emperor (r. 1736-1795) praising Macang's deeds, ordering that they be rendered in painting to honor him. In the painting, Macang is shown reaching back for an arrow to finish off the wounded enemy he is chasing. Along with the spear on the ground, the combined number of weapons accurately reflects the record of him downing the enemy in three strikes. According to the imperial inscription by the Ch'ien-lung Emperor, this painting was done in 1759. |
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Paired Cranes in the Shade with Flowers |
Lang Shih-ning (Giuseppe Castiglione, 1688-1766), Ch'ing dynasty
Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk, 170.7 x 93.1 cm |
On a gentle slope where rose bushes bloom are two pairs of red-crested cranes, one adult and the other chicks. An adult stands on one leg and careens its neck to preen its feathers while the other looks back and down at the two chicks who have yet to molt, as if responding to and taking care of them. The rendering of the cranes' feathers is very realistic and true to life, not just in the details but also the glossy luster. This treatment of sheen further characterizes the plants shown here, too, with the rose and iris blossoms rendered with equal attention to detail. The theme of crane chicks was not previously common in Chinese painting, but the Ch'ien-lung Emperor once wrote a verse on the subject: "Not until crane chicks come out of their shells, can they thus reach to the skies." Perhaps the upright position of the chicks in this painting was meant to echo the emperor's sentiments. |
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Lang Shih-ning (Giuseppe Castiglione, 1688-1766), Ch'ing dynasty
Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk, 68.8 x 122.1 cm |
The tradition of depicting fish swimming among plants in water goes back as far as the Sung dynasty (960-1279). However, here it differs from the rendering of aquatic plants and fish done by Giuseppe Castiglione. He enlarged the size of the fish and positioned the plants on the surface of the water as below the larger fish, creating an unusual visual effect that makes the two large fish appear to be floating in the air. Judging from some markings in the plant patterns near the edge of the painting, this work may have originally been glued to the surface of a palace wall and then later removed and remounted as a hanging scroll. |
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"The Grand Review"--"No. 3: Reviewing Battle Formation"
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Chin K'un (fl. 18th c.) et al., Ch'ing dynasty
Handscroll, ink and colors on paper, 68 x 1550 cm
On loan from the Yageo Foundation |
According to statutes of the Ch'ing court, the ceremony of the Grand Review was to be held every three years. The first time under the Ch'ien-lung Emperor, who had assumed the throne in 1736, occurred in 1739. Archival records of the Ch'ing court at the time indicate that Chin K'un and other court artists were ordered to paint "The Grand Review," a project that was completed in 1749. The final work was a set of four handscrolls, one each for "The Imperial Encampment," "Battle Formation Lined Up," "Reviewing Battle Formation," and "Battle Formation on the Move." At the end of each scroll are inscriptions by such top court officials as Liang Shih-cheng (1697-1763) recording the contents of the paintings. Of the four, however, only two are known to survive--this one on loan from the Yageo Foundation and "Battle Formation Lined Up" in the Peking Palace Museum. The Ch'ien-lung Emperor is depicted here personally reviewing the troops, shown riding a horse and wearing martial attire. The painting style appears to follow the brushwork associated with Lang Shih-ning (Giuseppe Castiglione, fl. 1688-1766), the Jesuit court artist from Italy.
Note: The scroll, due to its length (15.5m), can be exhibited only half at a time. The first half is on exhibit from 10/10, the second half starting on 11/24. |
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Activities of the Twelve Months (The Twelfth Lunar Month)
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Court artists, Ch'ing dynasty (1644-1911)
Hanging scroll, ink and colors on silk, 175 x 97 cm |
"Activities of the Twelve Months" is a set of twelve hanging scrolls, one dealing with each month. The painting for the twelfth lunar month here is a snow scene set in winter. The buildings are arranged from the foreground to the background using methods of Western perspective. The activities that take place within each area marked off by the buildings are intended to match the various events traditionally associated with each of the months, providing a glimpse at life in the Ch'ing palaces throughout the year. The painting manner of the set is also refined and the coloring exact, making this an outstanding representative of the Ch'ing court style. |
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