Beschreibung:

Details
HELMAN, Isidore Stanislas Henri (1743-c. 1809)
Abrégé Historique des principaux traits de la vie de Confucius. Paris: chez l'Auteur and M. Ponce, [1788].
First edition, a rare deluxe large paper issue with original hand-colouring on Dutch paper. The printer indicates on the title the price of various copies printed in quarto, and states that a few copies have been made ‘sur grand papier’ in folio, such as this copy. This collection of hand-coloured engraved plates illustrate various scenes from the life of Confucius. Helman selected the images for engraving from an album of over one hundred illustrations in the collection of the French Minister Henri Bertin (1720-92) who had been sent the album, gathered from various artists in China, by the Jesuit missionary and his regular correspondent, Jean Joseph Marie Amiot (1718-1793). Amiot, who had lived in China since 1750, would publish his 'Life of Confucius' as volume 12 in his Mémoires Concernant l'Histoire, les Sciences et les Arts des Chinois (15 vols, Paris, 1776-1791) in the same year as Helman's work. Helman had earlier published the reduced version of the Suite de Seize Estampes Répresentant les Conquêtes de l'Empereur de la Chine, originally a Sino-French enterprise with only 200 copies printed which were almost all sent to the Qianlong Emperor. Helman developed an interesting style representing Chinese art and Chinese subjects tailored for a European audience that, during these years, was increasingly developing a passion for chinoiserie. A fine copy, beautifully coloured, in splendid contemporary morocco, very close in style and quality to the bindings of Bradel l’Ainé, or his predecessor Derome. Bobins IV, 1437; Cohen/De Ricci 262; Cordier Sinica 664; Lipperheide Le 16; Lust 729.
Folio (372 x 258mm). Engraved title and 24 numbered engraved plates all with fine contemporary hand-colouring, 28 unnumbered leaves of engraved descriptive text with borders hand-coloured in yellow (occasional marginal mark). Contemporary red morocco, covers gilt ruled and scrolled to a panel design, gilt garlands to corners, spine gilt ruled in bands with large gilt drum and trumpet fleurons at centres, edges and turn-ins richly gilt, blue watered-silk endpapers, all edges gilt (corners slightly bumped, old ink stain on lower cover).
Special notice
No VAT is payable on the hammer price or the buyer's premium for this lot. Please see the VAT Symbols and Explanation section of the Conditions of Sale for further information