An hommage to the Malanotti De Caldes, who next to their own production of fine textiles also  imported Chinese silk to Venice. In the eighteenth century, the Qing empire was the largest and most prosperous country in the world, producing an enormous number of refined cultural and artistic works. Professional artists worked at court, creating  portraits, documentary and narrative images. In ceramic art, vivid color was a result of imperial admiration for European enamel objects. Italian Giuseppe Castiglione, locally known as Lang Shining, was a favorite of the court, establishing the new court aesthetic of combining Western with Chinese traditions.