A native of Suzhou, Gu Erliang's maiden name was recorded as Zao and she was known to have been active during the Kangxi period. Married into a distinguished family of inkstone carvers, she became a carver of inkstones herself probably after the death of her husband. Cf. Zhongguo Meishu Jiarenming Cidian, Shanghai Renmin Chubanshe, 1985, p. 1531.