LATE QING DYNASTY

Huang Shiling (1849-1908) was a master carver from Yi county, Anhui province. His seal engravings exhibit strong influence from Han seals and from inscriptions of Shang and Zhou bronzes. Huang's unique style in carving established him as the founder of the Yishan School in the late Qing period. The Yishan School is also known as the Yue School, since Huang sojourned in Guangdong for many years and thus contributed heavily to the development of seal engraving in that region.
The inscription on the side of the present seal indicates that the inscription was carved for Ouyang Wuyun (b.1864) to commemorate his acquisition of this seal from the Gu Collection.