A portrait of the Kangxi Emperor was unveiled at Bund One Art Museum in Shanghai as a special piece of the exhibition “The 18th Century Masterpieces”. The oil painting has been part of the collection of the Uffizi Galleries in Italy since the early 1700s. Why is a portrait of a Chinese emperor kept in Italy? The answer lies with the Italian painter Giovanni Gherardini. He had a Chinese name, “Nie Yunlong” as he was sent to China by Louis XIV with a missionary delegation. From 1700 to 1704, during his stay in China, he drew portraits for the royal family and ran a studio where Chinese painters learned oil painting from him. Records from the Uffizi Galleries show that the painting had been brought to Florence by 1709 and has been kept there since, alongside portraits of other emperors of that time. It is the first time that the painting was brought from Italy to China for display. The exhibition “The 18th Century Masterpieces” features a total of 81 pieces of work on loan from the Uffizi Galleries and runs through August 25th.