One Hundred Horses

One Hundred Horses is a Qing dynasty silk and ink painting by Giuseppe Castiglione. It was painted in 1728 for the Yongzheng emperor. The painting depicts a hundred horses in a variety of poses and activities, combining Western realism with traditional Chinese composition and brushwork. Some of the horses are in a 'flying gallop' pose, which had not been done before by European painters. The painting was executed using tempera on silk in the form of a Chinese handscroll. It was largely done in a European style in accordance with the rules of perspective, and with a consistent light source. However, the dramatic chiaroscuro shading typical of Baroque paintings is reduced and there are only traces of shadow under the hooves of the horses.