KANGXI PERIOD (1662-1722)

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.