Plate 39: Landskip with Conversation, from "A New Book of Chinese Designs"
Etched and published by Matthias Darly British
Artist and publisher George Edwards British
Not on view
Plate 39 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 a landscape with two men and a woman engaged in conversation. On the center, the woman reclines on a rock, looking up towards the two men, who are standing and talking, one of them pointing towards the right. Behind them are a house with open windows and a large palm tree, and smaller trees surround the scene. A tall vase and a pot with a small tree are next to the woman. Two chicks are eating from the ground on the bottom left corner, where a fence separates them from a pasture. To the right, water surrounds the area, and a sailing ship is seen on the background, with mountains further behind it. The lower part of the landscape is framed by thin scrolling leaves.
