Armillary sphere, 1669, by Ferdinand Verbiest (Chinese name Nan Huairen, 1623–1688). Silver-gilt and sandalwood. The Palace Museum, Beijing.
The Jesuits
The Qing were curious about foreign dress and practices and recorded them in several paintings. The Jesuits had gone to China to seek converts in the 16th and 17th centuries and remained important members of the Qing Court. They were technical advisors on scientific instruments and inspired Chinese court artists to emulate foreign traditions. This room displays some magnificent paintings by the famous Jesuit Court artist Lang Shining, known by his western name of Giuseppe Castiglione. Paintings by foreign artists are included alongside comparable examples by Chinese court artists. Clocks were welcome gifts and some quite extraordinary clocks made in Britain, France and Germany have only survived in China.
