Plate 21: Conversation, from "A New Book of Chinese Designs"

Plate number 21 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 Chinese women engaging in conversation. On the left, one woman stands in profile towards the left, wearing a robe with a pattern of stylized flowers and lozenges, and tied with a long scarf around the waist, her hair held up to form three buns. She holds a bundle of stylized flowers in her hands, and twists her head to the right, where a second woman stands. She is dressed in a similar, layered, robe with long sleeves that hide her hands, and with a belt tied around the waist. She wears a scallop-edged headdress, and looks towards the right, where a large vase stands upon a table. Behind it is a young man, putting his hands inside the vase. On the lower right corner is a boy, dressed in a robe with star motifs, looking towards the other boy with the vase, and raising his arms.