Plate 107: Water Piece, from "A New Book of Chinese Designs"
Etched and published by Matthias Darly British
Artist and publisher George Edwards British
Not on view
Plate 107 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 a water piece, made up of three geese swimming on the water, surrounded by bundles of leaves and flowers floating on the water. In the background are two elevated houses near an island and three birds, flying with their wings open across the sky. Smaller bundles of leaves and a trunk surrounded by branches with bell-shaped flower buds stand in front of the central scene.
