Chen Hongshou was a highly accomplished artist and one of the famous ?Eight Masters of Xiling.? His seal carving drew upon Qin and Han models, while his clerical script became especially celebrated for its lean vigor, free composition, and inventive interweaving of forms. This work shows clear, slender, ancient-looking brushwork, relaxed elegance, and a reclusive scholarly spirit. Though the structure may appear casual at first glance, it is in fact carefully and ingeniously arranged.