Plate 116: Tea Drinking, from "A New Book of Chinese Designs"
Etched and published by Matthias Darly British
Artist and publisher George Edwards British
Not on view
Photostatic reproduction of plate 116 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 a scene of tea drinking, with a man seated on the ground, wearing a pointed straw hat and three-quarter-sleeve robe with stars, carrying a halberd on his back and with a scallop-edged shield with a bundle of scrolling motifs next to him, extending his arm to receive a cup of tea from a woman that stands next to him. She wears a long robe with long, wide sleeves and tiered skirt, with a long belt tied around the waist, and a headdress with several buns. She holds a cup on one hand, extending it to the man, and another cup on the other, which she uses to pour water on a bowl, which is on top of a short table. They are in an open environment, surrounded by plants of different kinds.
