Plate 16: Three Indian Islands, from "A New Book of Chinese Designs"
Etched and published by Matthias Darly British
Artist and publisher George Edwards British
Not on view
Sixteenth 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 three Indian islands, two of them on the upper part of the sheet, and the other on the lower part. The first island, on the upper left, has a house with a fuming chimney, a garden and a group of trees at the right side, and mountains on the back; sailing ships and a boat with fishermen navigate the water around it. The second island is of smaller size, and hosts a small, round building, trees, and a pasture where a cow stands. The third island, on the lower part of the sheet, has a large structure made up of rocks, trees and bushes, a small building and a house on a tall wooden ladder; a sailing ship with two men approaches it from the left. To the right of this island is a rock or trunk, emerging from the water, and flanked by scrolling branches with flowers and leaves, and surrounded with grass.
