Plate 13: Girandoles, from "A New Book of Chinese Designs"

Thirteenth 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 consists of a design for two girandoles. The first, on the left, consists of an oval cartouche, flanked to the sides by scrolling motifs with hanging garlands of flowers and leaves, upon which are two seated Chinese boys, dressed with long robes, and each holding a long candle in their hands. On the lower part is a longer scroll with rails, with two boys standing on it, and a third boy sitting on a bundle of scrolling leaves at the end, all of them robed and holding candles. Flanking the upper part of the cartouche is a canopy inspired on the style of Chinese architecture.

The second girandole consists of a canopy with a thinner waist, framed by scrolling motifs, and flanked above by a small Chinese architectural ceiling. To the sides, it is flanked by stylized, scrolling leaves, and thin, undulating branches with clusters of leaves. On the lower part is a sort of base, framed by small rails, on which are three boys, each one of them holding a candle in their hands.