File:Conquests of the Emperor of China by Helman, c1785.jpg

24 plates engraved by Isidore Stanislas HELMAN between 1783 and 1788 [China]. HELMAN (Isidore-Stanislas). [Conquests of the Emperor of China. Following the sixteen prints representing the achievements of the Emperor of China, reduced size and increased several boards. In Paris, in the author and in Ponce, 1783-1788]. Following 24 boards engraved on copper (approx. 37 x 50 cm margins included) and watercolor, 3 assemblies forming a large brochure (approx. 37 x 129 cm) contemporary binding red morocco, smooth spine, gilt title wheels, nets, jewels, all golden plates decorated with a double frame (outside composed of a double net and a line of small floral irons and stars alternately, inside a net whose corners consist of two small irons forming a semicircle, the sides adorned in their center an iron star surrounded by a double line with spiral), the wheel cuts, inner lace, gilded, guards silk shimmering azure, gilt edges, boards mounted on tabs (tiny spots scattered to flat, negligible friction to cuts; label head back, little work to lead an inner hinge).

"In 1759, Emperor Ch'ien Lung annexed to his empire the north and south of the Tien Shan, Monts-Celestial, after a fierce struggle, in which distinguished the Chinese general Chao Hui against the leaders who were Eleuthes these regions. to commemorate this glorious event, Ch'ien Lung had executed a series of sixteen drawings of the main scenes of the campaign by missionaries artists who were at his court, that is to say, the brothers Jean-Denis Attiret Joseph Castilhoni Sichelbarth and Ignatius, the Jesuits, and John Damascene, Augustinian barefoot. by a decree of 13 July 1765, the Emperor ordered that the drawings would be sent to France to be played by the best engravers of the time [...] . [it is] confided in Cochin, secretary historian of the Academy, care to perform the work, which was completed only in 1774. Eight well-known engravers were employed there: LJ Masquelier, J . Aliamet, JP Le Bas, Augustin de Saint-Aubin, François-Denis Born, B.-L. Prévost, P.-P. Choffard and N. de Launay. The boards with a hundred copies that drew were sent to China; a very small number was reserved for the royal family and the King's Library. . "(Cordier)

Isidore Stanislas Helman (1743-1806 or 1809), writer of the Duke of Chartres and who distinguished himself as one of the best students in The Netherlands, devised to publish a reduction of this increased following new boards; he began the realization in 1783, and this book offers 24 boards was completed in 1788.

Rare copy of Holland paper and watercolor at the time. it is to our knowledge the only copy of such high quality localized . date

Published in deliveries, this suite is sometimes accompanied by a prospectus engraved in lieu of title, and which describes the prints There are at least three successive versions of this ad we consulted;. first described the first sixteen prints, the second most mentions a "Supplement forming prints 4", and the third describes the entire book consists of 24 prints Nowhere is the issue of quality of the paper used in these prints, and. all the "big" examples we reviewed are printed on Auvergne paper, certainly large but poor bill. This paper from the mills Dupuy is typical of French paper large format whose quality declines at the end of the eighteenth century, supplanted by productions in Holland and Italy. However, we find in the margin of one of these flyers, an ad for a new production Helman, memorable facts of China's emperors, whose first delivery is scheduled for April 15, 1788. On size smaller than the Suite Conquest (either in-4), the memorable facts are available on the same large paper Auvergne, but also "the whole work painted in watercolor on paper of Holland."

We know one of the best: it is that of the Countess of Provence, dédicatrice of the work connected to his arms and kept at the Reserve prints from the BNF (dimension Oe April 6 °).

But nowhere there is no question of a Dutch paper drawing on our suite of conquest or colored copies. Our research has not allowed us to locate this one-would be in public collections (including BNF and Guimet Museum), and we have found no trace in the auctions last 15 years.

The paper copy of this comes from two most esteemed Dutch workshops of the time, houses Van der Ley (visible contremarque pl. III pl. XX), and Blauw (pl. XVII).

Exceptional copy, wearing an elegant contemporary binding finely decorated red morocco Bradel attributable to the elder.

Alexis Peter Bradel, Bradel said the eldest, succeeded his uncle Derôme the young and also called Bradel-Derôme was active in Paris in 1772 (Thoinan, The French bookbinders, Paris, 1893, p. 220). The binding is not signed, but a bill of similarity is observed and similar chains on binders bearing his label collection Mortimer L. Schiff: a 1790 Telemachus; 2 and 1787 medical books (S. Ricci, French signed binding in the Mortimer L. Schiff collection, II, New York, 1935, No. 140 and 142). Similarly, R. Devauchelle assigns a binding whose decoration includes a frieze of stars comparable to that provided on the dishes of our copy (R. Devauchelle, Bookbinding, historical research ... Paris, 1995). This date "to 1792-1795.". Our copy has, on paper of the lower guard, a watermark dated 1792; This binding can be logically dated in the same range of 1792 to 1795. Its dimensions are approximately 38.5 x 27 cm.

Careful modern signature appears in the foot margin of 6 boards (pl I, V, XI, XVI, XXI, XXIV.): "John Drut."