Ma Ho-chih, a native of Ch'ien-t'ang(modern Hangchow), served as Vice Minister of the Ministry of Works. Noted for his fine brushwork and his effort to rid his painting of showy elements, he succeeded in creating his own style and was famous for his landscape and figure painting. The Ladies' Book of Filial Piety is a text that elaborates on the significance of piety and explains the standards of behavior expected of women. Stylistically, the brushwork of this illustrated transcription more closely resembles that of the 13th-century painter Ma Lin. Furthermore, the calligraphy is more in the style of that of Emperor Li-tsung(r.1225-1264). Therefore, this should more appropriately be considered a late Sung work.
Ma Ho-chih, a native of Hangchow, was a civil service graduate and served as Vice Minister of Works. Noted for his fine brushwork and scholarly style, he had a unique style of painting. Emperor Kao-tsung, a gifted calligrapher in his own right, appreciated Ma's style and commissioned him to create illustrations of the classics. “The Ladies’ Book of Filial Piety” is a text written in the T’ang dynasty (618-907) by the wife of nobleman whose daughter was promoted to the status of princess. Fearing that her daughter would be unfamiliar with rules of propriety, she composed this text of eighteen chapters based on the classic “Book of Filial Piety” as a means of instruction. Thus, the text elaborates on the standards of behavior expected of court ladies. This handscroll originally had 18 sections, but now only nine survive. The scroll is presented with an image first followed by an illustration. Compositions are centered around courtyards cordoned off by trees, rocks, and hallways to focus on the elegant figures, which are delicately outlined with elegant features using “nail-head” and “rat-tail” strokes combined with fine coloring. Though the title gives the painter as Ma Ho-chih, close examination of the work, such as the foreground garden settings, large “axe-cut” texture strokes combined with ink washes, and elongated tips of the contorted pines all derive from the style of two later Southern Sung court painters--Ma Yuan and Hsia Kuei. Stylistically, the brushwork more closely resembles that of Ma Lin, Ma Yuan's son. Furthermore, the calligraphy is more in the style of that of Emperor Li-tsung (r. 1225-1264). Therefore, this should more appropriately be considered a late Sung work.