Attacking the Camp at Gatan Ola: from Battle Scenes of the Quelling of Rebellions in the Western Region, with Imperial Poems
1770
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
About the artist
1770
From the collection of Cleveland Museum of Art
Attacking the Camp at Gatan Ola: from Battle Scenes of the Quelling of Rebellions in the Western Region, with Imperial Poems is a 1770 by Giuseppe Castiglione, a Romanticism work, depicting Qianlong Reign, held at Cleveland Museum of Art.
These etchings show Qing soldiers charging a walled camp. The lines are sharp but the faces are calm, almost peaceful. Emperor Qianlong wrote poems for each scene. He wanted to show his generals’ bravery. The emperor picked an Italian artist to make these prints. Giuseppe Castiglione lived in China for years. He blended Chinese ink style with European perspective. Look up Giuseppe Castiglione (Italian, 1688–1766).
This set of etchings was commissioned by Emperor Qianlong to record in pictorial terms the courage of his generals and soldiers in quelling the rebellions in the Western Regions. Qianlong added his own poem to each of the etchings, indicating his appreciation and pride in this demonstration of military might. "Western Regions" refers to the present-day Xingjiang province, often described in Western writing as "Central Asia."
Read the full account in the museum source.
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