KANGXI PERIOD (1662-1722)

Details

A RARE SONGHUA STONE BOX AND COVER
KANGXI PERIOD (1662-1722)
Of olive-green color, the box and cover are carved on the exterior in imitation of basket weave. The interior of the cover is carved with a six-character inscription, Wumen Gu Erniang zao ('made by Gu Erniang of Wumen').
4 ½ in. (10.7 cm.) diam.

Provenance

The K'ung Hsiang-Hsi (Kong Xiangxi, 1881-1967) Collection, New York, and thence by descent within the family.

Lot Essay

A native of Suzhou, Gu Erniang's maiden name was recorded as Zao, and she was known to have been active during the Qing dynasty, probably during the Kangxi period. Married into a distinguished family of ink stone carvers, she became a carver of ink stones herself, probably after the death of her husband. For a discussion of Gu Erniang, see Zhongguo Meishu Jiarenming Cidian, Shanghai, 1985, p. 1531.

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