A pair of watercolours of unusually fine quality with fine gold highlights, The present watercolours are remarkable, firstly for their quality, but also for the size of the illustrations. Later collections of Chinese export watercolours were produced on pith paper to satisfy the ever-increasing demand from Europeans for small, inexpensive,and easily transported souvenirs. The present pair is an example of the earlier and more prestigious style, painted on fine Chinese paper, and on a much larger scale.

Two watercolours on pith paper within ruled borders depicting Chinese actors, one with an added caption in Chinese, upper right, each 70 x 55.5cm. Framed and glazed.