Plate 101: Heads, from "A New Book of Chinese Designs"
Etched and published by Matthias Darly British
Artist and publisher George Edwards British
Not on view
Plate 101 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 two heads. On the left, a male head with short hair and a long, braided queue, mustache, and pointed beard, is framed by a bell-shaped straw hat and the neckline of a Chinese-style robe. On the right, a female head wears a netted headpiece with a thin ribbon bow on the crown of the head; the upper part of a robe with a stole hanging from the shoulders makes up the rest of the bust.
