Man selling squares of painted paper as window panels
1885
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
1885
paint
From the collection of Victoria and Albert Museum
Dominant colour
Man selling squares of painted paper as window panels is a 1885 paint by Peichun Zhou, a Impressionism work, held at Victoria and Albert Museum.
The painting depicts a man sitting on a stool, holding a fan in his right hand and a square of painted paper in his left. He is dressed in traditional Chinese attire, including a blue tunic and black pants. A woman stands opposite him, wearing a pink robe with black trim and blue pants. She is reaching out to take the paper from the man. The scene is set against a neutral background, with no discernible details or surroundings. The focus is solely on the interaction between the two figures. This painting is reminiscent of the work of Zhou, Peichun.
The painting depicts a central figure standing on a plain ground, with a wooden stand to the side where a man in blue sells a white fan to a woman dressed in pink. To the right, a description in Chinese explains the content of the scene, accompanied by an English translation in pencil. The work is part of an album of over 200 numbered paintings, created in 1885, illustrating various occupations, customs, and social scenes.
Read the full account in the museum source.
Peichun Zhou's tiny paintings feel like overheard gossip. Every inch of the page teems with someone’s daily hustle—silver hairpins, paper flowers, or a jeweler gluing kingfisher feathers onto a trinket. You can almost…
See the richer artist page
