Plate 16: Three Indian Islands, from "A New Book of Chinese Designs"

Sixteenth plate 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 three Indian islands, two of them on the upper part of the sheet, and the other on the lower part. The first island, on the upper left, has a house with a fuming chimney, a garden and a group of trees at the right side, and mountains on the back; sailing ships and a boat with fishermen navigate the water around it. The second island is of smaller size, and hosts a small, round building, trees, and a pasture where a cow stands. The third island, on the lower part of the sheet, has a large structure made up of rocks, trees and bushes, a small building and a house on a tall wooden ladder; a sailing ship with two men approaches it from the left. To the right of this island is a rock or trunk, emerging from the water, and flanked by scrolling branches with flowers and leaves, and surrounded with grass.