Plate 26: Two Oval Landscapes, from "A New Book of Chinese Designs"

Plate number 26 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 two designs for oval landscapes. The first, on the upper part of the sheet, consists of a small island with a temple on the center, a man and a dog walking in front of it, and with trunks and thin branches with leaves on the left. Docked to the right of the temple is a ship, and further to the right is a small wooden structure and several small bushes. In the background, mountains and a small town with elevated houses is devised. Grass is also seen on the bottom of the oval, on the foreground.

The second landscape, on the lower part of the frame, consists of a peninsula (or island) with a large structure made up of trunks or rocks, surrounded by thin branches with leaves. At the left is an elevated house, and a small boat with a man navigates towards it. Another man stands under the structure. On the left, land with rocks and bushes surrounds the peninsula, with mountains and ships on the background.