The picture is a scroll. One Hundred Noble Steeds (2)

Castiglione, using a gradation of light and shadow, gave the painting an almost realistic feel. There is a perspective - a decrease in proportion with distance to trees, horses and people. In the background, the outlines of hills and mountains are almost invisible, and the trees are painted in pale, almost transparent colors. The mountains in the left corner of the picture are painted in the European manner.

Castiglione, in the Chinese manner, conveyed the symbolic meaning of the objects depicted in the painting. Horses are a symbol of speed, endurance, quick victory. The composition depicts a young oak tree with bare branches on top. In Chinese painting, oak is a symbol of male power. Closer to the center, there are willow, pine, maple, sophora and lacquer wood. Willow is a Buddhist symbol of humility. It is considered a sign of spring and is also credited with dominating demons. The pine tree is a symbol of longevity, steadfastness, endurance.
Maple leaves in Chinese painting express the desire to have everything in abundance. Sophora is also called the tree of Chinese scientists. Since the Song Dynasty (420-479), this tree has embodied three meanings: meeting immortals, reproduction, and good luck.
A person not initiated into Chinese painting may not pay attention to the small red tree mushrooms depicted on the roots at the base of a pine tree - lingzhi mushrooms, which gained popularity as "sacred mushrooms", or "plant of immortality". For the first time, the medical properties of lingzhi are mentioned in an ancient Chinese manuscript on herbs from the Qin and Han dynasties (221 BC - 220 AD), which claims that they can not only heal and prevent disease, but also prolong life. Therefore, they were associated with longevity and immortality, and it was believed that they are the main ingredient in the elixir of immortality. Mushrooms, therefore, symbolize the expression "ruyi", which means "at your will," and are often combined with other symbols. Castiglione depicted lingzhi in combination with pine, and such a duet can be deciphered as "I wish you longevity."

With the arrival of Castiglione in China, the use of perspective and chiaroscuro in painting reached its highest rise, forming a style that successfully combined the methods of Western realism with the aesthetics of the Eastern worldview. The exquisite works of Castiglione have become some of the most brilliant and fascinating pieces of art in the Qing era.