This painting forms part of an unusual collection of five watercolours that we have for sale by early 20th-century Burmese artists. The collection includes works by the celebrated artist Saya Suang (1898–1952) whose work is highly regarded for its mastery of the watercolour technique and who is the only early Western-style painter who has the honorific 'Saya' (meaning master) attached to his name.

Paintings by artists such Saya Suang and other early 20th-century Burmese artists working in a similar style, are of great significance to the history of art in Myanmar and the influence of British painting on the arts in Southeast Asia. Such artists adopted the Western style of watercolour, producing representational landscape paintings en plein air in translucent wash. They often focused on iconic landscapes of Upper Burma—the old Mandalay Palace and moat, Mandalay Hill, boats on the Irrawaddy River, or village scenes.

Saya Suang taught at St Peter's School in Mandalay and countless painters in Burma studied under him and were influenced directly by him.