HELMAN, Isidore Stanislas Henri (1743-c. 1809) - photo 1
HELMAN, Isidore Stanislas Henri (1743-c. 1809) - photo 2
HELMAN, Isidore Stanislas Henri (1743-c. 1809) - photo 3
HELMAN, Isidore Stanislas Henri (1743-c. 1809) - photo 4
HELMAN, Isidore Stanislas Henri (1743-c. 1809) - photo 5

HELMAN, Isidore Stanislas Henri (1743-c. 1809)

Lot 136
13.07.2023 10:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Sold
£ 5 040
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 993047
Lot 136 | HELMAN, Isidore Stanislas Henri (1743-c. 1809)
Estimate value
£ 4 000 – 6 000
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
Auction house category:Printed books
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
13.07.2023
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.
?>