HELMAN, Isidore-Stanislaus-Henri - b. 1743 Lille, d. ~1806 Paris

French engraver and printseller. He was among the first students of the drawing academy of Lille, where he studied under the direction of Louis-Jean Guèret and Louis-Joseph Watteau before joining the Parisian studio of Jacques-Philippe Lebas (1707-1783). He was a member of the Académie des Arts in Lille.

He has translated numerous late 18th century paintings into engravings. He is also known for the production of several plates of the Monument of the costume for Jean-Michel Moreau on a text of Restif de la Bretonne in 1789, his reductions of the Battles of China (Battles and conquests of the emperor of China, 1783 -1785) and the plates of the Main Days of the Revolution after Charles Monnet (1732-after 1808) in 1797.

The Fountain of Youth

This widely distributed engraving was made after a painting by Charles Monnet (1732-after 1808), a French painter and illustrator. It shows the goddess Isis with water flowing from her breasts. A crowd of people surrounds the fountain, worshipping the goddess.

The engraving reflects the interest in Egyptian theology.