An Italian painted this

The emperor's patience was running out. Kangxi, the third emperor of the Qing dynasty, had been promised a skillful and famous painter from Europe. Yet the artist was nowhere to be found. His court was swarming with visitors from the West. Jesuit masters who had first entered the Forbidden City of Beijing a hundred years before, thanks to father Matteo Ricci, the founding father of the Jesuit missions in China. The Jesuits were well aware that the spread of the Christian world relied heavily on reaching the ruling elites. And so, by this time, they already had a century of experience within the walls of the imperial palaces in Beijing. They contributed to the court with their knowledge of mathematics, astronomy, diplomacy, engineering, and medicine. But this wasn't enough. These masters were talented and well-trained, sure, but none of them were painters. Emperor Kangxi wanted an actual painter, an artist with a deep understanding and knowledge of the Western painting style. And so, to please the emperor, the Jesuits had to find a promising candidate in distant Europe. The young painter from Milan they ended up recruiting would leave a mark in the Qing dynasty, becoming one of the most prominent Western artists in China's history. Giuseppe Castiglione left the port of Lisbon in 1712. Looking back at the city, he must have wondered what challenges could await him on the other side of the world. Would his training under European masters be of any use? And would he ever come back? He had accepted joining the Jesuit mission in China and would soon endure an exhausting 5,000-mile journey before reaching the Forbidden Palace. This was a risky adventure. Many missionaries had lost their lives coming from Europe due to ship wreckage, sickness, and pirate attacks. For seven years, Emperor Kangxi had been awaiting Castiglione's arrival, as the Jesuits had promised the emperor this talented painter back in 1705. But after Castiglione left Europe, his journey was indeed full of obstacles. The emperor had to wait for another three years. And finally, in 1715, Kangxi saw Castiglione cross through the gates of the Forbidden City. He had waited for ten long years. Once in the city, the emperor ordered Castiglione to be conveyed to him even before he had met the Jesuit missionaries. Without a preamble, the emperor asked Castiglione to paint a bed. Castiglione obeyed, and he did it so skillfully that the emperor was wondering whether the bed was alive or painted. But despite this good first impression, Castiglione had to start anew as an apprentice. He immersed himself in learning the Chinese language, symbolism, and customs. He embraced the Chinese way of composition, brushwork, and painting, and even adopted the Manchu silk robes. The Jesuits were forbidden to use any Christian imagery or themes from European political and literary culture. If young Castiglione wanted to succeed in court, he would have to learn how to please the emperor. And so, Castiglione was given a new name. He became Lan Xianyin. Emperor Kangxi deeply appreciated the missionaries' efforts and contributions to his court. Before his passing, he wrote a final edict reflecting his approach Be kind to men from afar, and keep the evil ones near. Following Kangxi's death in 1722, the new Yongyang emperor recognized the value of Castiglione's versatility and artistic knowledge, considering them particularly precious assets. During Emperor Yongyang's rule, Castiglione created some of his most renowned works. One of his early paintings, Gathering of Auspicious Signs, demonstrated just how well-adapted he had become in Chinese symbolism and calligraphy. He had precisely inscribed, The first year of the emperor, two-eared corn grows in the fields, double lotuses flower in the pond, and I, Lan Xianyin, paint these auspicious signs. The emperor was so pleased that he employed Castiglione in producing various artworks, including portraits and depictions of animals and flowers. Castiglione then started working on One Hundred Horses, a remarkable painting that followed the Manchu tradition of horse rearing. However, the Jesuits were in danger. For them, life within the Forbidden City was far from idyllic, as hate towards Christians was growing more and more. The missionaries faced the challenging task of pleasing the emperor while witnessing their own brothers being imprisoned, harassed, and even executed. Emperor Yongyan passed away before the completion of One Hundred Horses. He would have greatly appreciated the view, but instead, it would be presented to his successor. When Castiglione arrived in the Forbidden City, Qianlong was just a four-year-old known as Prince Hongli. A kid who loved exploring the imperial painting workshops, the little prince would grow to become Qianlong, a cultured and art-loving ruler. Qianlong allowed Castiglione to use more of the Italian painting fundamentals within Qing scroll techniques, granting him more artistic freedom. Portraits had gained significance as court-sponsored art, and Castiglione's unique approach involved incorporating perspective and minimal outlining, resulting in very realistic portraits within the Chinese imperial context. His portraits were so lifelike, three-dimensional even, that they were deemed unparalleled by the Qing court painters. Castiglione then began painting on a scroll that featured the emperor, empress, and his first consort. The scroll wouldn't be completed until the end of Qianlong's reign, 34 years later. It would then include all 11 consorts. Qianlong wrote, Convex and concave the painting method, it circulates from the West. Leng has his own Western painting tools, and his painting method doesn't depend on contour lines. His portrait is better than any other. His paintings are based on the Western method and fused with the Chinese method. His flower paintings look vivid and real, and are not what a mediocre painter produces with tools. But despite Qianlong's praise, Castiglione was deeply concerned about his brothers. During Qianlong's reign, the persecution of Christians had actually escalated. In 1736, Emperor Qianlong appointed Castiglione as the official court painter. Shortly after, during a visit to his studio, the artist broke all rules of etiquette and pleaded tearfully for tolerance towards Christians in the empire. His imperial patron Qianlong granted this wish. However, a later attempt to help missionaries in Fujian proved futile. He told him, Qianlong reminded Castiglione of their cultural differences and appointed others to handle such matters. You Europeans are foreigners. You do not understand our manners and customs. And yet, Qianlong loved watching Castiglione paint so much that he would frequently visit his studio as he used to do when he was a little child. Despite their disagreements, a warm friendship flourished over the years between the young emperor and the now older Jesuit artist, transcending their religious differences. In 1748, Qianlong bestowed upon Castiglione the prestigious position of administrator of the imperial parks and vice president of the six boats, the highest rank ever held by a Jesuit. This appointment raised eyebrows and invited criticism as it appeared to lack visible missionary duties. Everyone agrees that this was a good opportunity to speak to the emperor in favor of the Catholic religion and of the mission. But the brother did not consider this appropriate. What can one say? He is there as a painter and not as a missionary. There is no evidence that Castiglione was discontent with his position under Qianlong's rule, but we have an account from a fellow Jesuit artist who laments the challenges of an imperial painter at the Qin court. Will this endless fuss ever conclude? It is difficult to convince myself that all of this serves the greater glory of God, to be tied from one duty to the next with the scarce Sundays or feast days to pray to God, to paint subjects hardly in line with one's own taste or spirit, enduring numerous other hardships. All of this would drive me back to Europe if I did not believe that my art serves the good of religion and fosters the emperor's favor towards the missionaries who preach it. This is the sole reason that holds me here, along with the other Europeans, in the emperor's employ. Indeed, Castiglione was not to preach, he was to paint. His most valuable contribution to the mission lay in maintaining good personal relations with Emperor Qianlong. One of Castiglione's notable paintings, titled The Qianlong Emperor as Manjushri, the Bodhisattva, displayed a cosmic vision of the Buddhist figures in the style and colors of the Tibetan tradition. As a Jesuit brava, he would have been expected to resist working in a non-Catholic religious image. And yet, apparently, he did. There are no records of the connection between his paintings and his religious intentions. Castiglione didn't preach Christianity, but his artistic talent resulted in a distinctive style that skillfully blended western realism with the rich symbolism of Chinese art. Emperor Qianlong was delighted, and he would entrust him with one final grand task. The Old Samur Palace, also known as the Garden of Perfect Brightness, held a special place in Qianlong's heart as he was born and raised there, outside the Forbidden City. It became his passion project and he sought to expand it into a magnificent imperial retreat. Chinese tradition mandated that a garden scene should resemble a painting, so Qianlong chose Castiglione, a painter, over other renowned Jesuit architects to design western-style pavilions in the Old Samur Palace. Castiglione's expertise and knowledge of perspective played a key role in the construction. These European palaces had several pavilions and gardens, but the entire layout was constructed around a specific element. The Hall of Calm Seas, one of Castiglione's designs, featured twelve bronze fountain heads, each representing a Chinese zodiac animal and one of the twelve divisions of the day. Every two hours, a different animal would spout water, and at noon, they would all spout in unison, creating quite the spectacle. The cross-cultural exchange that began with Cansi and Yongyan reached its peak during Qianlong's reign. This project went beyond all the previous two-dimensional art. It was a controlled, three-dimensional display of a Chinese-European space filled with the movement of water and time. The fountain heads adorned the palace until the Second Opium War in 1860. Peace negotiations with Qing China broke down and the British High Commissioner ordered the foreign troops to destroy the imperial summer palace. French and British military forces invaded the gardens, looting and burning everything. Most of the imperial family's precious belongings were plundered and dispersed, and the fountain heads were scattered in private collections all around the world. The old summer palace, along with its artists and patrons, sank into oblivion. Today, only ruins remain of the palace. However, in the past decades, China has been making efforts to retrieve all fountain heads, given their historical importance. Sadly, only seven of the original twelve are known to have survived, leaving this piece of history lost to time. The imperial painter Castiglione held the record for the longest service as a missionary artist. Serving three generations of Chinese emperors for 51 years. Castiglione and his fellow Jesuits came to understand that China took interest only in certain specific elements from the West while rejecting everything else, including the missionary effort. Late in his life, Emperor Qianlong would write, In portraiture, Shaolin is masterful. He painted me during my younger days. Now, being an elder full of white hairs who enters the room, I do not recognize the painted young man. The emperor's use of Castiglione's Chinese name reveals their special friendship. When Castiglione passed away at the age of 78, Emperor Qianlong personally wrote his obituary in his own calligraphy. A profound tribute and honor. In his last years after abdicating the throne, Qianlong would often unroll the scroll to reflect on his life, loves and cherished memories. The 34-year-long scroll must have brought him a sense of serenity and pride. But although he didn't know, this was a time coming to an end. Since this would be the beginning of the gradual decline and eventual demise of the Qing dynasty. China's last imperial family. Among those who passed away with great mourning in our province, one should mention the well-known brother Castiglione. The present emperor, who is so clever in discerning people's vices and virtues, had such a high opinion of his piety that he believed that a similar man could not be found all over the world. Are there in Europe such excellent artists as you are? Castiglione replied, there are many indeed. And the emperor answered back, and would I find one as virtuous as you are? Thanks for watching Outland Context. I really hope you enjoyed this video. Please like, leave a comment below and subscribe to help launch this channel. I'll see you very soon.