郞世寧 Chinese scroll silk painting “White Eagle on the rock”, signed Lang Shining, (Giuseppe Castiglione) 1725 AD. Giuseppe Castiglione, S.J. (simplified Chinese: 郞世宁; traditional Chinese: 郞世寧; pinyin: Láng Shìníng; 19 July 1688 – 17 July 1766), was an Italian Jesuit brother and missionary in China, where he served as an artist at the imperial court of three Qing emperors – the Kangxi, Yongzheng and Qianlong emperors. He painted in a style that is a fusion of European and Chinese traditions. Chinese scroll painting of an eagle on silk, signed Lang Shining. The first painting characters: 乙已秋月臣郎世宁恭绘 yǐ yǐ qiū yuè chén láng shì níng gōng huì. This means artist Lang Shining paint this in autumn of Yi yǐ year (1725AD). “Courteously painted by Yiji Qiuyuechen Lang Shining” There are eleven (11) seals altogether: One large square seal - on the top: 太上皇帝之宝 - Tai Shang Huang Di Zhi Bao (this seal is from Qian Long Emperor period) The Supreme Emperor's Treasure. Emperors usually have a lot of stamps, this stamp belongs to the emperor, and this seal means the emperor like this painting. One rectangular seal – upper left of the painting; 御书房鉴藏宝- Yu Shu Fang Jian Cang Bao (this seal is also from emperors in Qing Dynasty) Imperial Study Room Appraisal of Treasures One round seal – in the middle left of the painting; Two square seals, located at lower left, under the characters: 臣世宁 - Cheng ShiNing; 恭画-Gong Hua; the two seals belong to Lang Shining, 臣Cheng and 恭 Gong are respectful words to emperor. One large square seal – lower left; One round seal – upper right (in the tree); 古稀天子- Gu Xi Tian Zi (this seal is also from Qian Long Emperor), just means good emperor. One round small seal - in the needles, upper right center; One rectangular in the left corner of the painting; One oval seal in the center of the painting; The seal in second picture is: 鉴古 -Jian Gu = Appreciating the past; One rectangular seal in the middle right of the painting; Heart size of the painting: 16“x 36” inches = 40.6 cm x 91.4 cm; Size of the scroll: 24” x 86” inches = 61 cm x 218.4 cm; Roller length: 27.75”= 70.5 cm; Roller ends: brown wood; Luxury mounting, very pleasant smell, paper has several aging or water spots 3-6 mm in diameter. Also paper has tiny horizontal ribs with 0.5 mm step, which is a sign of antique paper used in 17th and 18th centuries. Potentially age of the paper is over 200 years old. This is a rare case, where antiquity is preserved in excellent condition. The last several images represent microscopic photos with x50 magnification, proving that it is hand-painted, and not - a print. Reference about paper: Paper is a thin nonwoven material traditionally made from a combination of milled plant and textile fibres. The first paper-like plant-based writing sheet was papyrus in Egypt, but the first true papermaking process was documented in China during the Eastern Han period (25–220 AD), traditionally attributed to the court official Cai Lun. This plant-puree conglomerate produced by pulp mills and paper mills was used for writing, drawing, and money. Besides its use for writing and books, paper was used to produce topographical and military maps from the Han dynasty onwards. Drawn to a reasonably accurate scale, they included colour-coding and symbols for local features and included specific areas of enlarged scale. Other uses of paper included as packaging for delicate items such as medicine and as wrapping paper, especially for parcels of tea. Paper was widely used to make hats, stiffened it was used for armour, and thinned it could be used for windows. There were paper screens, sheets, curtains, clothes, and, eventually, money. Paper was so highly valued in ancient China that it was used to pay tribute and taxes to the state during the Tang dynasty (618-907 CE). The Tang also imposed a colour code on the use of paper, with white paper being reserved for legal documents, yellow for government purposes, and blue for communications with Taoist temples. Sheets of paper came in all sizes and many colour shades. Materials, techniques, and preferences varied from region to region, but there were helpful treatises written on the subject, the earliest being by Su I-chien (957-995 CE). Special paper with an appealing texture, pattern or colouring was reserved for calligraphy and art. These paper types were made using rice, wheat straw, sandalwood bark, hibiscus stalks, and even seaweed.
