Plate 81: Varied Rails, from "A New Book of Chinese Designs"
Etched and published by Matthias Darly British
Artist and publisher George Edwards British
Not on view
Plate 81 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 designs for varied rails, which are presented, together, forming a fence behind a tree with scrolling branches with large bunches of thin, long, pointed leaves. The rails have four different abstract geometric designs, consisting of thin poles linked together to form the rectangles, semi-circles, and triangles that make up the patterns.
