The signature is: Huating Dong Qichang's book.
Dong Qichang (1555-1636), courtesy name Xuanzai, also known as Sibai and Xiangguang Jushi, was a native of Huating, Songjiang (now Maqiao, Minhang District, Shanghai), and was a calligrapher and painter of the Ming Dynasty. In the 17th year of Wanli's reign, he was a Jinshi and was awarded the title of Editor of the Hanlin Academy. He was promoted to Minister of Rites in Nanjing and was given the posthumous title of "Wenmin" after his death. Dong Qichang is good at painting landscapes. He learned from Dong Yuan, Ju Ran, Huang Gongwang, and Ni Zan. His brushwork is elegant and neutral, quiet and sparse; his ink is clear and meaningful, gentle and calm; his green colors are simple and elegant. He uses Zen Buddhism as a metaphor for painting and advocates the "North and South School" theory. He is an outstanding representative of the "Huating School" and has the beauty of "face, bones and posture". His paintings and painting theory had a great influence on the painting circles in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties. Calligraphy appeared in Jin and Tang Dynasties, and has its own style, capable of poetry and prose. Li Zhimin, a professor at Peking University and the founder of the introduction of stele into grass, commented: "Dong Qichang advocated learning from the ancient and transforming it into the ancient, but his superstitious ideas on the charm of calligraphy were even worse than those of the ancients." His extant works include "Dwelling in the Rocks", "Eight Scenes of Autumn Hsing in Ming Dynasty by Dong Qichang", "Zijintang Pictures", "Bai Juyi's Pipa Play", "Cursive Poems Album", "Pictures and Postscripts of the Mountains on the Yanjiang River", etc. He is the author of "Essays on Painting Zen Rooms", "Collected Works of Rongtai", "Xihongtang Tie" (Engraved Tie), etc.