Lang Shih-ning(1688-1766)
Ch'ing Dynasty (1644-1911)
Framed 18"x24"                                                                          

 (Original is Color and Ink on Silk; size:54"x31", Wallscroll)

     Lang Shih-ning (Giuseppe Castiglion, 1688-1766 A.D.) was born at Milan, Italy. At nineteen, he entered the Jesuitorder and studied painting and architecture. He came to China in 1715 as a missionary, and received a post in theAcademy of Art at the Manchu court, where he was known by his Chinese name, Lang Shih-ning. As a painter, he wasnoted for his picture of human figures, flowers, birds, and especially, horses. When he first started, it was his intention tointroduce into China the techniques of Western painting, but he received no encouragement. On the contrary, he wasadvised to study Chinese art. This he did, and gradually created a style of painting close to the Chinese style. His abilityto draw from life excelled his Chinese colleagues, yet as Chinese artists lay stress on artistic ideals and poetic flavourrather than on realism, Lang's masterpieces did little to alter the course of the development of Chinese art.