Ma Quan, whose style name was Jiangxiang, came from Changshu in Jiangsu province. She was either the daughter or the granddaughter of Ma Yuanyu (1669–1722), a student of the famous flower painter Yun Shouping (1633–1690). She became a famous flower painter herself, mentioned in the same breath as the painter Yun Bing (mid 18th c.). In contrast to the latter, she painted her flowers with contour lines of ink and then filled them in with colour. Her works were in such demand in Peking that she and her husband were able to live from the sale of her paintings. After her husband's death, she returned to her hometown of Changshu, where her fame continued to spread. So, she hired four assistants to help her paint, partly because her eyesight was failing. Numerous forgeries of her paintings appeared during her lifetime. The Frankfurt painting is also a late imitation of her style. This is also revealed here by the moderate quality of the inscription and signature.