Manufacture
COLLAS Achille
1794-1859
Born in Paris in 1794, he died in 1859. First jeweller’s apprentice, he invented the engraving process (the « Collas process »), permitting, mechanically, the reproduction of moneys and medallions. With P. Delaroche, Henriquel-Dupont and Ch. Lenormant he realized The treasure of numismatic and glyptic. This book in 16 volumes in-folio, fitted with engraved boards, has been published from 1831 to 1850.
He created a machine which was about to revolutionary the domain of the art fount: a vertical derrick to reduce « permitting the mathematic copy, restrained and simplified, of statued objects; this way, Achille Collas obtained reductions of antic, Renaissance and contemporary masters statues. » With this process, we were able to sculpt the used materials destined for the fount, wood, ivory, marble, malachite and plastics materials models.
Achille Collas was the associate of the founder Ferdinand Barbedienne. He created a process of industrial mosaic, and engraved a banknote for the Vatican that could not be counterfeited (at least at this period).
