Production of Facsimiles
n collaboration with the Atelier du Lys, Atelier Coralie Barbe offers the production of high-quality facsimiles. High-definition files are retouched if necessary, and prints are made using pigment ink printers.
For more information, visit the Atelier du Lys at atelierdulys.fr and on @atelierdulysparis
Conservation-Restoration Project and Creation of a Facsimile for the Charter of the Decapolis, 14th Century
Archives of Colmar (2023)
In the 14th century, Alsace, part of the Holy Roman Empire, was a true political mosaic, divided into about forty lordships and around 70 cities. Some of these cities had obtained freedoms and privileges from the Emperor and were aware of the envy of neighboring lords. On August 28, 1354, they formed an urban league of ten imperial cities, later known in the 18th century as the “Decapolis.” The league originally comprised the cities of Haguenau, Colmar, Sélestat, Wissembourg, Rosheim, Obernai, Turckheim, Kaysersberg, Munster, and Mulhouse.
This exceptional document, a valuable witness to Alsace’s history, is preserved at the City Archives of Colmar. Written on parchment with brown iron-gall ink, it originally displayed the seals of the ten cities that constituted the league. Only eight of these seals remain today.
Original Charter of the Decapolis
Its restoration involved flattening the parchment, which had previously been stored folded in a box, and stabilizing the eight remaining wax seals.
Facsimile of the Decapolis Created on Parchment
To preserve this important and delicately handled document, and to provide a high-quality copy to a wider audience, the City Archives of Colmar commissioned a facsimile on parchment.