Palissy ware is a 19th-century term for
ceramics
A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain, ...
produced in the style of the famous French potter
Bernard Palissy (c. 1510–90), who referred to his own work in the familiar manner as ("in the rustic style"). It is therefore also known as rusticware. Palissy's distinctive style of
polychrome
Polychrome is the "practice of decorating architectural elements, sculpture, etc., in a variety of colors." The term is used to refer to certain styles of architecture, pottery or sculpture in multiple colors.
Ancient Egypt
Colossal statu ...
lead-glazed earthenware in a sombre earth-toned palette, using naturalistic scenes of plants and animals cast from life, was much imitated by other potters both in his own lifetime and especially in the 19th century. In this revival, pottery in Palissy's style was produced by Charles-Jean Avisseau of Tours, who rediscovered Palissy's techniques in 1843, his relatives the Landais family of Tours, Georges Pull of Paris, Maurice, and Barbizet.
The number of 16th-century pieces attributed to Palissy himself is now much less than in the past, and attributions tend to be cautious, as for example: "workshop or imitator or follower of Palissy".
Portuguese Palissy ware was produced by the potteries of Mafra, Jose A. Cuhna, Alves, José Francisco de Sousa, Cezar, Herculano Elias, and Augusto Baptista de Carvalho. Twentieth-century reproductions are extremely common. it is now difficult to identify which 16th-century works in the ''rustique'' manner are actually from Palissy's own workshop except by comparison with either fragments excavated in 1878 from remains of the
grotto
A grotto is a natural or artificial cave used by humans in both modern times and antiquity, and historically or prehistorically. Naturally occurring grottoes are often small caves near water that are usually flooded or often flooded at high ti ...
that he certainly decorated at the
Tuileries Palace
The Tuileries Palace (french: Palais des Tuileries, ) was a royal and imperial palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the River Seine, directly in front of the Louvre. It was the usual Parisian residence of most French monarchs, fro ...
for
Catherine de' Medici
Catherine de' Medici ( it, Caterina de' Medici, ; french: Catherine de Médicis, ; 13 April 1519 – 5 January 1589) was an Florentine noblewoman born into the Medici family. She was Queen of France from 1547 to 1559 by marriage to King ...
, who called him to Paris in 1566 or from excavations at the site of his
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
workshop in the
Palais du Louvre. Many museums have now become cautious in their attributions.
This distinctive style of pottery is characterized by three-dimensional modeled, often aquatic, animals such as snakes, fish, lizards, frogs, and snails arranged onto large platters (wall plates, wall platters, chargers). Typically, each component is modeled and painted individually.
Palissy ware is also the name given by Minton & Co for the earthenware later known as 'majolica', decorated with a mostly new range of
coloured glazes.
: "...what is now known as
majolica
In different periods of time and in different countries, the term ''majolica'' has been used for two distinct types of pottery.
Firstly, from the mid-15th century onwards, was ''maiolica'', a type of pottery reaching Italy from Spain, Majorca a ...
was a range of vibrantly coloured lead glazes launched in 1849 as Palissy ware. Only later did these become known as majolica ware". Victoria and Albert Museum.
A significant collection of Palissy ware is housed in the
New Orleans Museum of Art
The New Orleans Museum of Art (or NOMA) is the oldest fine arts museum in the city of New Orleans. It is situated within City Park, a short distance from the intersection of Carrollton Avenue and Esplanade Avenue, and near the terminus of the ...
, donated by the actress and writer
Brooke Hayward.
Notes
References
* Atterbury, Paul, and Batkin, Maureen, ''Dictionary of Minton'', Antique Collectors' Club, 1990.
* Arnoux, Leon, ''British Manufacturing Industries, Gutenberg, 1877
* Duchin, Brooke Hayward. ''Grotesquerie: Form, Fantasy and Function in 19th Century European Ceramics; the Collection of Brook Hayward Duchin,'' New Orleans Museum of Art, 1997.
External links
The Majolica Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Palissy Ware
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