Ni Yuanlu and Huang Daozhou were close friends, accomplished painters and calligraphers, high ranking government officials and Ming loyalists who met tragic deaths. As a result of their support of reforms, during their careers, which began when they both attained the jinshi degree in 1622, they alternated between receiving senior appointments and falling out of favor. Both fought along with Ming loyalists to resist the Manchurian invaders. When the Qing finally supplanted the Ming, Ni Yuanlu committed suicide to avoid capture and Huang Daozhou was arrested and later executed.

Both artists frequently depicted pine trees and rocks, so that landscapes by them are rare. They painted with calligraphic brushstrokes that emphasized the movement of the brush, rather than creating depth and volume. The tall attenuated trees visible in the scroll were both a trait common to the two painters and a frequent motif in late Ming painting.