Isidore-Stanislas Helman (1743-1806) China. 23... Lot 13

Isidore-Stanislas Helman (1743-1806) [China]. 23 plates (of 24, here without title) for Abrégé historique des principaux traits de la vie de Confucius, célèbre philosophe chinois... [24 engravings] engraved by Helman after original drawings from China sent to Paris by P. Amiot missionnaire à Pékin... Paris, chez l'auteur, 1786. Etching and burin. 178x265. I.F.F. 83-106. Very fine proofs on laid paper, with full margins, plus 11 duplicates with reduced margins. Scattered foxing and a few damp spots. Stamp (of 3 kinds) of the Winfield Robbins coll. (New York, 1841-1910, Lugt not described), sometimes affixed on the recto in the subject. Joint: 6 plates (of 24) for Faits mémorables des Empereurs de la Chine, tirés des annales chinoises... engraved by Helman after original drawings from China... Paris, chez l'auteur et chez M. Ponce, 1788. Etching. Each 180x270. I.F.F. 111-134. Fine proofs on laid paper. Minor foxing and a few light halos. Small margins. Set of 40 p. Testifying to the growing interest in China in 18th-century Europe, these two suites depict lively landscapes, palace and temple scenes, ceremonies and rituals, and were based on original drawings by Jesuit Amiot, a missionary father in Peking from 1752 until his death in 1793. "Due to the rarity of the prints executed under the direction of Cochin fils for the Emperor of China, of which only a few copies remained in France, Helman had the idea of executing reductions to satisfy the curiosity of amateurs. Their success led him to add a few more compositions, and then to publish two other suites of 24 prints entitled Faits mémorables des Empereurs de la Chine and Abrégé historique des principaux traits de la vie de Confucius". (Y. Bruand and M. Hébert, Inventaire du fonds français, Graveurs du XVIIIe siècle, tome 11, p. 267).