Plate 62: Candlestand, from "A New Book of Chinese Designs"

Plate 62 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 candlestand, made up of a bundle of stylized acanthus leaves, which scroll upwards and slightly to the right, where three stylized flowers appear, each holding one candle. A Chinese man with pointed straw hat and mustache is seated on the acanthus leaves, and another man, with a queue on his head, stands on the left side, holding a halberd above his right elbow. A smaller acanthus leaf scroll is on the lower right, below the candles. The base of the candlestand is designed to represent a piece of land.