Plate 60: Open Temple, from "A New Book of Chinese Designs"
Etched and published by Matthias Darly British
Artist and publisher George Edwards British
Not on view
Plate 60 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 an open temple, made up of a central chamber framed by two columns and a squared arch with panels of marble, and flanked to the sides by two smaller chambers, framed by two columns with panels with standing figures, and ceilings with scrolling edges, flanked above by canopies, also with ceilings with scrolling edges, and with wind vanes on the top. The chambers are separated by hallways with balustrades and ceilings, with curtains rolled up and attached to the ceiling. Above the central chamber is a frieze with alternating hexagonal and oval windows, and above it is a terrace, fenced by rails with geometric motifs, flanked above with vases, where a man stands. On the lower leve, several people stand in the different areas of the temple.
