Ink on gold-flecked paper 18*58 cm

Xu Fang (1622-1694), also known by his zi (courtesy name) Zhaofa and his hao (literary names) Qizhai, Jiansou, and Qinyu Shanren, was a native of Suzhou. He attained the juren (provincial graduate) degree during the Chongzhen reign (1628-1644). In calligraphy, he studied the style of Sun Guoting; in painting, he followed the traditions of the 10th-century master Juran. A man of profound learning, he was the author of the twenty-volume Collected Works of the Juyitang Studio (Juyitang Ji).