Plate 58: Hermitage, from "A New Book of Chinese Designs"
Etched and published by Matthias Darly British
Artist and publisher George Edwards British
Not on view
Plate 58 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 a hermitage, made up of a central cylindrical chamber with an open entrance, flanked to the sides by two chambers with terraces, and with a conical straw ceiling, flanked above by a small canopy with geometric patterns and a ceiling with scrolling tips. The chamber on the left has a closed window and ceiling with scrolling tips, and the terrace around it is fenced by a rail with a geometric pattern. The chamber on the right has open windows, with curtains that are being pulled up by a man in the chamber, and ceiling with scrolling tips; the terrace is fenced by a rail with a rectangular panel of marble.
