First edition of this celebrated French production of the Dijian Tushuo or 'The Emperor's Mirror'. The Dijian Tushuo was a collection of stories, almost fables, of the great and good deeds of Chinese emperors, designed for instruction of the young Wanli emperor.

There is confusion about how Helman got his hands on the text and engravings for this work. The title seems to corroborate the story that Helman based his work off an illustrated manuscript in the possession of the French Minister of Finance Henry Bertin, and heavily adapted it for the French palette. There is also the suggestion that the plates are based off a set produced by Jesuit Attiret on the orders of The Qianlong Emperor which were almost strictly distributed in China. Whatever the inspiration, it is clear Helman adapted his work for the Western market and the desire for material on the "Orient". He was an astute business man and profited greatly from the suites he produced.

This is the paper issue of the work, which was also issued on papier vélin and in a large paper format to be uniform with Helman's other suites.

First edition; 4to (29.5 x 22 cm); engraved title, engraved dedication, 24 engraved plates accompanied by engraved text, bright and clean; contemporary mottled calf gilt, neat repairs to joints, internally fine copy.

Cohen de Ricci 479; Löwendahl 654; Lust 1133; Cordier 587-88.