Thesis Title: Giuseppe Castiglione’s Paintings: The Transmission and Transformation of European Techniques in Eighteenth-Century China
Supervisors: Dr Carl Kilcourse and Professor Jon Stobart
This research examines how Castiglione formulated a new genre of painting in the Qing court in the eighteenth century. To assess the application of European techniques and models in Castiglione’s Chinese paintings, this study identifies the influence of Milanese art—particularly the impact of Federico Borromeo’s collections—and religious education in Genoa on his horse paintings and collaborative works with local court painters. Moreover, this study illustrates how the Qianlong emperor’s tastes influenced Castiglione’s paintings by analysing Qianlong’s education. The study of Giuseppe Castiglione’s paintings not only serves as a visual reminder of the Qianlong emperor’s authority, Qing’s military power and the Manchu identity but also conveys the interplay of religion, culture, and art in Sino-European relations.