ART 198 - HISTORY OF WORLD CERAMICS

Bernard Palissy is a seminal figure in the history of European pottery, as he was the first 'studio potter.' He was originally trained as a stained glass artist, but he was very impressed by Italian majolica, and wanted to become a potter. He set up a studio in the Tuileries, near Paris. Developing his own palette of colored overglaze enamels and working from molds, he created a line of unique ceramic objects. It took him over 16 years to work on these glazes. He worked from nature, and made molds from actual snakes, fish, snails, leaves, seed pods, among many others. The plate at the right is representative of his output. He was not successful at first, and was constantly battling bankruptcy, and at one point was so desperate for funds that it is reported that he had to burn his furniture to complete a firing of his kiln, so short of firewood was he. Later he became collectible and his patrons included the Medici family. He was also commissioned to create large scale ceramic grottoes in the Tuileriers Gardens in Paris.

"Rustique Plate," by Bernard Palissy, Earthenware, 1575-1600 CE