One Hundred Horses: An Italian Master in Imperial China

About this episode

The episode discusses the life and work of Giuseppe Castiglione, an Italian painter who influenced Qing dynasty art.

Today, we’ll talk about the Italian Jesuit painter Giuseppe Castiglione, who crossed cultural boundaries to serve three Qing emperors and created a groundbreaking fusion of European realism and Chinese court painting, most famously represented by his masterpiece One Hundred Horses.

Topics covered

• Italian Jesuit painter
• Qing emperors
• cultural boundaries
• European realism
• Chinese court painting

Keywords

• Giuseppe Castiglione
• Qing emperors
• One Hundred Horses
• European realism
• Chinese painting

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Qing

Books & works: One Hundred Horses

More episodes of The Context

• Zhang Boling and the Dream of a Chinese University · June 9, 2026 · 18 min
• Sanniangzi: The Mongolian Lady of Peace · June 2, 2026 · 19 min
• A Shang Dynasty Zoo: What Animal Bones at Yinxu Reveal About Ancient China · May 26, 2026 · 18 min
• Beyond the Legend: The Untold Story of the Epang Palace Ruins · May 19, 2026 · 13 min
• Early US-China Relations: Monumental Gesture · May 15, 2026 · 15 min
• Mulan: The Invented Hero Who Has Endured for 1,500 Years · May 12, 2026 · 14 min