Plate 5: Mandarin & Soldier, from "A New Book of Chinese Designs"
Etched and published by Matthias Darly British
Artist and publisher George Edwards British
Not on view
Fifth plate of 'A New Book of Chinese Designs', consisting of a title page, index, and 120 plates, etched and published in 1754 by the British caricaturist, printseller and ornamental engraver Matthew Darly, in collaboration with George Edwards. The book consists of a variety of ornamental and costume designs of Chinese inspiration, some of them copies of the original works (including the title).
This plate represents the figure of a Chinese soldier and a Mandarin woman. On the left, the soldier wears a layered tunic with patterns of stylized flowers and dragons. He carries a bow and quiver of arrows on his back, and a sword in his hand. He has a queue on the head and wears a fabric belt around his waist, tied at the back.
On the right, the Mandarin woman wears an overcoat with long, wide sleeves and a waistband with scrolling motifs, over a layered tunic with patterns of rosettes, stripes, and lozenges. She wears a headdress to pull her hair up with a sun motif on the front.
