Qing court foreign painter - Giuseppe Castiglione

Giuseppe Castiglione, born in Milan, Italy, entered the Jesuit order at the age of 19. He came to China in 1715, and was appointed court painter at the Imperial Palace in Beijing. He served in this position under three emperors, painting under the Chinese name Lang Shining. He became a key figure in the artistic revival of the time, introducing Chinese painters to perspective, three-dimensionality and other western techniques. Combining typical Chinese material with western technique, he was particularly known for portraits and animals, especially horses. Very popular with the postal services, Castiglione's paintings are on almost 40 stamps.

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