Over the past decades, news reports on the return of the heads of the 12 zodiac animal bronze statues from the Old Summer Palace or Yuanming Yuan have aroused the concern of the Chinese masses. These bronze statues were beautifully designed. They are lifelike stunning works of art. The statues have drawn widespread attention because they carry with them the memory of humiliation in modern China. Their return has always been a matter of concern to many Chinese. So who designed the bronze statues? What is the story behind their creation?
In 1715, Giuseppe Castiglione, a young Italian Jesuit, came to China. His primary mission in China was, of course, to preach the gospel, but at that time the Manchu authorities had a policy of not permitting Christianity to be preached in the country. The missionaries could not do much about this edict so they each had to find other ways to stay in China. Fortunately, all the Qing emperors fancied works of art and Castiglione was highly skilled in painting, enabling him to enter the royal court and work as a royal artist.
Castiglione explored a new method of painting by integrating Western and Chinese styles in his works. He created a groundbreaking new painting method that became known as the “Castiglione Novelty.” In China Castiglione painted for more than 50 years, serving three different administrations of kings. He was one of the designers of the Western-themed garden. His contribution influenced the painting and aesthetic taste of the Qing royal court. His representative works were "Ten Dogs," "100 Horses," "Emperor Qianlong’s Grand Portrait," "Harvest Valley," "Flowers and Birds," and "100 Children."
In order to expand the size of the Old Summer Palace, Emperor Qianlong specifically wanted to design a Western-style garden, which he named The Hall of National Peace. The Emperor assigned the French missionary P. Benoist Michel and Giuseppe Castiglione to be responsible for its design. According to historical records, in the Hall "there is a high platform made of stone bricks, which has an in-built water tank. The tank supplies water for the surrounding fountains. The reservoir was covered tight with tin plates to prevent leakage. So it was called 'tin sea.' The tank can hold 180 tons of water. Water is stored by using the 'dragon tail cart' (a machine that operates by a mechanical principle that raises the water level) to send water upwards to the 'tin sea,' and then relying on gravity, water is made to run through the bronze pipes that lead to the fountains."
The central piece of the complex was its large fountain pool. On each side of the pool stood the 12 Chinese zodiac bronze statues, formed with human bodies and animal heads. The statues sprayed water to announce the time and thus they got the name “hydraulic clock.” It was Castiglione who designed the 12 bronze statues. It was said that he originally planned to adopt female sculptures which were popular in the West as the water-spraying devices. However, the proposal was opposed by many as the idea was thought to be inconsistent with traditional Chinese etiquette. So Castiglione took into account the different viewpoints and decided to use the Chinese zodiacs as the design. The idea did not only conform to the aesthetic appreciation of the Chinese people, but also the concept of the Chinese zodiacs in ancient times was said to be related to time. What a great idea this was!
Castiglione truly made a unique and vivid design by combining human bodies and animal heads. According to historical records: "The 12 statues are distributed evenly along the south-north bank of the fan-shaped fountain pool. On the south bank are the rat (11 pm – 1 am), tiger (3 am – 5 am), dragon (7 am – 9 am), horse (11 am – 1 pm), monkey (3 pm – 5 pm), and dog (7 pm – 9 pm). On the north bank are the ox (1 am – 3 am), rabbit (5 am – 7 am), snake (9 am – 11 am), sheep (1 pm – 3 pm), rooster (5 pm – 7 pm), and swine (9 pm – 11 pm)." The 12 zodiac forms each take their turn to spray water around the clock. At noon, the mouths of the 12 bronze statues spray water at the same time, forming a spectacular scene. The fountain reflected the perfect combination of Western architectural art and traditional Chinese culture. It truly deserved the title of a national treasure.
In 1860, the Old Summer Palace was looted, destroyed and burned by British troops (many of them were Indian mercenaries). Many precious works of art and relics including the zodiac animal heads of the bronze statues were stolen and scattered around the world. However, in the 21st century, some of the bronze animal heads have been returned to the motherland. As of November 2019, seven heads – the ox, monkey, tiger, swine, rat, rabbit and horse – have been returned home. It is believed the other five animal heads will be returned in the near future.
- Translated by Charlie Li
这十几年，关于圆明园十二生肖兽首铜像回归祖国的报道，引起了全国民众的关注。这些铜像设计精妙，栩栩如生，是令人惊叹的艺术作品。又由于其承载了近代中国一段屈辱历史，使其得到了大众瞩目。其回归的历程，始终是当代无数中华儿女牵挂的事。那么是谁设计了十二生肖兽首铜像？背后又有哪些传奇故事呢？
1715年，一位意大利年轻人来到中国，他就是耶稣会士郎世宁。他来华的首要任务当然是传福音，可是当时满清奉行“百年禁教”，传教士没有太大的活动空间，因此只能寻找其他方法留在中国。正好清代皇帝都喜欢艺术，而郎世宁又有很高的艺术素养，于是得以进入宫廷，成为如意馆的宫廷画师。
郎世宁大胆探索西画中用的新路，熔中西画法为一炉，创造了一种前所未有的新画法、新格体，堪称郎世宁新体画。郎世宁在华，历经康、雍、乾三朝，在中国从事绘画50多年，并参加了圆明园西洋楼的设计工作，极大地影响了清代宫廷绘画和审美趣味。主要作品有《十骏犬图》、《百骏图》、《乾隆大阅图》、《瑞谷图》、《花鸟图》、《百子图》等。
乾隆皇帝为了扩大圆明园的规模，尤其想设计一座西式园林，将其命名为海晏堂。命法国教室蒋友仁与郎世宁负责这项工作。 据记载，海晏堂“用砖石砌成高台，高台上修有贮水池，供应周围喷泉用水。贮水池周围用锡板包严，防止渗漏，故称‘锡海’。能储水180吨，贮水是用‘龙尾车’（靠机械原理将水位提高的一种水车）向上输送至‘锡海’，然后再利用地心引力使水经过铜管流向喷泉。
当然海晏堂建筑群的精华乃是大型喷水池，池左右呈“八”字形排列着我国十二生肖人身兽头铜像，具有报时的功能，因而得名水力钟。它的设计十二生肖兽首铜像的就是郎世宁，据说他一开始准备用西方流行的女性雕塑来作为喷水的装置。但是这个建议遭到了不少人的反对，认为其不符合中国的传统礼教。于是郎世宁听取各方意见，决定以中国人熟知的十二生肖作为设计。因为这不仅符合国人的审美取向，而且十二生肖在古代具备报时的作用，可谓是相得益彰。
郎世宁以十二生肖的头结合人身的方式，设计出惟妙惟肖的兽首铜像。据记载：“十二铜兽像在海晏堂前的扇形喷水台上分布在南北两岸，其中南岸分别为子鼠、寅虎、辰龙、午马、申猴、戌狗；北岸则分别为丑牛、卯兔、巳蛇、未羊、酉鸡、亥猪。”而在每天的十二个时辰，由十二生肖依次轮流喷水。而正午时，十二铜像口中同时喷射泉水，显得蔚为壮观。体现了西方建筑艺术与中华传统文化的完美结合，其成为国宝真乃实至名归。
1860年，圆明园遭遇了空前的劫难，被英国人（其中很多印度兵）一把火焚毁，包括十二生肖兽首铜像在内的诸多珍贵艺术品、文物流失海外。但进入本世纪，十二生肖兽首中的部分铜像相继回到了祖国。截至2019年11月，牛首、猴首、虎首、猪首、鼠首、兔首、马首在内的七尊兽首已经回国，相信在不远的将来，其他五尊兽首也会回归的。我们翘首以待十二生肖兽首铜像在中华大地重新团聚的那一天。
这位传教士设计了一件令中国人牵挂的国宝
Over the past decades, news reports on the return of the heads of the 12 zodiac animal bronze statues from the Old Summer Palace or Yuanming Yuan have aroused the concern of the Chinese masses. These bronze statues were beautifully designed. They are lifelike stunning works of art. The statues have drawn widespread attention because they carry with them the memory of humiliation in modern China. Their return has always been a matter of concern to many Chinese. So who designed the bronze statues? What is the story behind their creation?
In 1715, Giuseppe Castiglione, a young Italian Jesuit, came to China. His primary mission in China was, of course, to preach the gospel, but at that time the Manchu authorities had a policy of not permitting Christianity to be preached in the country. The missionaries could not do much about this edict so they each had to find other ways to stay in China. Fortunately, all the Qing emperors fancied works of art and Castiglione was highly skilled in painting, enabling him to enter the royal court and work as a royal artist.
Castiglione explored a new method of painting by integrating Western and Chinese styles in his works. He created a groundbreaking new painting method that became known as the “Castiglione Novelty.” In China Castiglione painted for more than 50 years, serving three different administrations of kings. He was one of the designers of the Western-themed garden. His contribution influenced the painting and aesthetic taste of the Qing royal court. His representative works were "Ten Dogs," "100 Horses," "Emperor Qianlong’s Grand Portrait," "Harvest Valley," "Flowers and Birds," and "100 Children."
In order to expand the size of the Old Summer Palace, Emperor Qianlong specifically wanted to design a Western-style garden, which he named The Hall of National Peace. The Emperor assigned the French missionary P. Benoist Michel and Giuseppe Castiglione to be responsible for its design. According to historical records, in the Hall "there is a high platform made of stone bricks, which has an in-built water tank. The tank supplies water for the surrounding fountains. The reservoir was covered tight with tin plates to prevent leakage. So it was called 'tin sea.' The tank can hold 180 tons of water. Water is stored by using the 'dragon tail cart' (a machine that operates by a mechanical principle that raises the water level) to send water upwards to the 'tin sea,' and then relying on gravity, water is made to run through the bronze pipes that lead to the fountains."
The central piece of the complex was its large fountain pool. On each side of the pool stood the 12 Chinese zodiac bronze statues, formed with human bodies and animal heads. The statues sprayed water to announce the time and thus they got the name “hydraulic clock.” It was Castiglione who designed the 12 bronze statues. It was said that he originally planned to adopt female sculptures which were popular in the West as the water-spraying devices. However, the proposal was opposed by many as the idea was thought to be inconsistent with traditional Chinese etiquette. So Castiglione took into account the different viewpoints and decided to use the Chinese zodiacs as the design. The idea did not only conform to the aesthetic appreciation of the Chinese people, but also the concept of the Chinese zodiacs in ancient times was said to be related to time. What a great idea this was!
Castiglione truly made a unique and vivid design by combining human bodies and animal heads. According to historical records: "The 12 statues are distributed evenly along the south-north bank of the fan-shaped fountain pool. On the south bank are the rat (11 pm – 1 am), tiger (3 am – 5 am), dragon (7 am – 9 am), horse (11 am – 1 pm), monkey (3 pm – 5 pm), and dog (7 pm – 9 pm). On the north bank are the ox (1 am – 3 am), rabbit (5 am – 7 am), snake (9 am – 11 am), sheep (1 pm – 3 pm), rooster (5 pm – 7 pm), and swine (9 pm – 11 pm)." The 12 zodiac forms each take their turn to spray water around the clock. At noon, the mouths of the 12 bronze statues spray water at the same time, forming a spectacular scene. The fountain reflected the perfect combination of Western architectural art and traditional Chinese culture. It truly deserved the title of a national treasure.
In 1860, the Old Summer Palace was looted, destroyed and burned by British troops (many of them were Indian mercenaries). Many precious works of art and relics including the zodiac animal heads of the bronze statues were stolen and scattered around the world. However, in the 21st century, some of the bronze animal heads have been returned to the motherland. As of November 2019, seven heads – the ox, monkey, tiger, swine, rat, rabbit and horse – have been returned home. It is believed the other five animal heads will be returned in the near future.
- Translated by Charlie Li
This Missionary Designed the Chinese National Treasure
