Plate 14: Two Landscapes in the Borders, from "A New Book of Chinese Designs"
Etched and published by Matthias Darly British
Artist and publisher George Edwards British
Not on view
Fourteenth 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 represents two landscapes in the borders, each inside a roundel, flanked on the left by stylized scrolling leaves, and thin branches with flowers and leaves. On the upper roundel, the first landscape represents two Chinese men wearing robes on the lower-right corner, standing on the land and fishing from the water behind them. A boat with two men, a small town, and mountains are seen on the background.
The second landscape represents, on the venter, two Chinese men engaging in a discussion, next to a cliff with a building on the top and behind a grille. One of the men seems to have just got off a boat that is docked behind them. In the background, water separates the main scene from a small town and the mountains, even further behind.
