Ts'ao Ta-ku Teaching
Chin T'ing-piao (?-1767)
Ch'ing Dynasty

　　Chin T'ing-piao, a native of Chekiang, served as a court artist and specialized in figures, flowers, and landscapes. This work depicts the story of the Pan Chao teaching calligraphy. Pan Chao was the wife of Ts'ao Shou. Of exceptional learning, her brother Pan Ku authored The Book of Han. He died before completion, so the emperor ordered her to continue it, inviting her to court. The emperor ordered the empress and ladies to study under her, and they called her Ts'ao "Ta-ku (Your Honor)." Here, she is teaching at a table. The two ladies watching have brought some children. Numerous blossoms are shown inside and out. The elegant figures and subdued coloring of this didactic work are given life by the raucous children.