signed ZENGGUOFAN, inscribed, and with one seal of the artist ink on paper Zeng Guofan,(1811–1872),was a Chinese statesman and military general of the late Qing dynasty.He is best known for raising and organizing the Xiang Army to aid the Qing military in suppressing the Taiping Rebellion and restoring the stability of the Qing Empire. Along with other prominent figures such as Zuo Zongtang and Li Hongzhang of his time,Zeng set the scene for the Tongzhi Restoration, an attempt to arrest the decline of the Qing dynasty.