{"id":6501,"date":"2020-01-13T14:02:41","date_gmt":"2020-01-13T19:02:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/susannaives.com\/wordpress\/?p=6501"},"modified":"2020-01-13T14:08:20","modified_gmt":"2020-01-13T19:08:20","slug":"the-emperors-prized-dogs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/susannaives.com\/wordpress\/2020\/01\/the-emperors-prized-dogs\/","title":{"rendered":"The Emperor\u2019s Prized Dogs"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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This painting of Xiang Fei, the Fragrant Concubine, led me on a fascinating artistic hunt. Why did the portrait strike me? I couldn\u2019t put my finger on it at first, but upon later study,  I realized my fascination with the painting was because it blended Western and Eastern styles. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Giuseppe Castiglione or Lang Shining painted the portrait in the 18th<\/sup> century. Castiglione, born in 1688 in Milan, trained as an artist in Europe before joining the Jesuits at 19. He was sent to China to serve under the Qing Dynasty emperor. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Emperor Qianlong<\/em> by Giuseppe Castiglione <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Emperor Qianlong’s Pleasure during Snowy Weather by Giuseppe Castiglione <\/em> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

In China, Castiglione adopted the name Lang Shining and fused his Western artistic training with Eastern techniques. He served under three Qing Dynasty emperors, ultimately becoming a court painter. He died in China in 1766. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He painted several series for the emperors, including my favorite, the Emperor\u2019s prized dogs!<\/p>\n\n\n\n