Each painting depicts perhaps a famous figure from Chinese history, painted in gouache on handmade paper, not pith paper. Each is titled and also has the four-character seal of the painter Zhou Peichun.

Craig Clunas makes a brief reference to Zhou Peichun in his book, “Chinese Export Watercolours”, V&A Museum, 1984, where he notes that this Peking painter or studio had a crude if distinctive style. I would hesitate to describe these paintings as crude myself; I think that they are rather well executed.

Each painting is 10.3/4 inches (27.3 cm) by 6 inches (15.2 cm). Each has a further 3/4 of an inch (1.8cm) of width folded back on the right hand edge. The condition is fine with no damage. For some reason my scanner has brightened the images a little towards the bottom of the pictures.