Giuseppe Castiglione 郎世寧 (1688 – 1766)

Giuseppe Castiglione 郎世寧 1688 – 1766

Giuseppe Castiglione (1688-1766) was born in Milan, Italy, and studied painting since youth, joining the Jesuit society in Genoa at the age of 19. When the Qing court in China made a request for a Western painter, word reached the Vatican in Rome and Castiglione was chosen to go and also spread the faith. In 1709 he first went to Lisbon, Portugal, and, after several years, finally left for China in 1714, arriving in Macao during the following year (the 54th of the Kangxi emperor's reign). By the end of 1715, Castiglione (and his reputation in painting) had reached Beijing, catching the at-tention of the court, where, under the Chinese name Lang Shining, he was assigned as an artist. All in all, Castiglione served the Qing imperial household under the Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong emperors for nearly 51 years. Following his death from illness in 1766, Qianlong decreed that, in addition to Castiglione's official rank as "Administrator of Imperial Parks," he be posthumously promoted to Vice Minister.