Lady Miao

CHINA; Ming dynasty

Lady Miao was an embroidery artist and the creator of the famed Gu style of embroidery. She was the concubine of the eldest son of Gu Mingshi, who was the head of the notable Shanghai household in which embroidery arts were developed and made famous by the several talented female members. Adopting the embroidery traditions of the Song dynasty (960–1279), and adding her own touches, Lady Miao created the elegant and sustainable Gu style. She was skilled in embroidering figures, landscapes, and flowers, and her works were considered exquisite and lively. In Poem Collection of Xunlezhai, her piece, Buddha Embroidered by Lady Miao in Luxiangyuan, was praised in a poem that stated, “The young and old are all different, but laughter and joy are what they share in common.”