Castiglione, Giuseppe

CASTIGLIONE, GIUSEPPE. - Born in Milan on July 19, 1688; placed in the school of a celebrated artist of his time, he immediately showed such an inclination for painting that he raised the highest hopes in this field. Drawn, however, to the religious life, on Jan. 16, 1707 he entered the novitiate of the Society of Jesus in Genoa, admitted in the humble rank of temporal coadjutor. In that year or the following he executed at least nine paintings, still extant in Genoa, measuring 3 x 1.50 m., on religious subjects, for the house or the church of the novitiate. Even before the end of the two-year period, undoubtedly in response to a desire of the missionaries of China who had asked for an artist who could work at the imperial court of Peking, he went to embark in Portugal. There, however, once the novitiate was finished and his first vows pronounced, he was sent to Coimbra to the celebrated College of Jesus, where he was kept for some years to decorate its private chapel. The queen of Portugal herself must have become aware of his artistic talents, since at the beginning of 1714 she wished him to paint the portrait of her two children. Finally, urged by the general of the Order, Michelangelo Tamburini, who gave express orders to send him to China, where he was awaited for so many years, the superiors of Portugal had to let him leave in 1714. Having arrived at Macao on July 10, 1715, on Dec. 22 of the same year he finally reached Peking.

(so called because fame had it that a natural perfume emanated from her person) a Muslim and already a concubine of Hozi Hân, governor of Yarkand, taken prisoner of war in 1759 and brought to Cchienlom, who immediately fell in love with her; C., called upon to make an oil portrait of her, depicted her dressed as a warrior, with helmet, cuirass and sword. Of Cchienlom, C. also made about ten portraits. Four of his paintings appeared in the International Exhibition of Chinese Art in London in the years 1935-36.

Pasquale D'Elsa