Evening star., 1877-12-22
PALISsY.- rHE POTTER.
IFrom the Chicago Herald

tFrom the Chicago Herald
Unqnestionably the most celebrated potter
Huguehot, Bernard Palissy. He owes his rep
utation more to the romantic interest attached
TO his struggles In discovering the glaze or
enamel, which was the foundation OF his pros
perity, than to the real importance Of this dis
covery, or to the artistic merit of the works he
executed in this material For Palsy, when
many fruitless attempts, in producing the
white enamel for which he had sought 50 long.
was only practleing an art which he could have
learned from almost any potter on the oppo-
site side Of the Alps for at this time the Italian
majolica manufacture was at its highest point
of excellence. This, however, does not detract
anything from the credit due TO his discovery,
which was worked out without knowledge of
the Italian processes. any more than the glory
of Columbus Is dimmed by the fact that before
his time the 1celanders and Welsh had made
visits to America, and that Columbus was.
probably, aware of this fact.
As an artist, PalisSy was a man of very
original genius; an intense lover of nature, he
was fond of ornamenung his pottery with life
like copies OF the lower orders of animals, such
as snakes. frogs. lizards. and shell fish. These
seem out OF place To use on articles for table
use or house adornment, bat il must be re-
membered that Palissy made the pieces deco
rated in this ware principally for outdoor use,
for gardens. grottoes and fountains. For such
purposes this style of decoration is eminently
suitable. and far more beautiful than many
more favored STYLES of ornamentation.
The story of PaliSsy : eyentful life il familiar
enough. but il can well bear repeating. His
parents were poor. and he had but little school
ing. Apprenticed to land-suryeyor. Inc
learned something Of drawing, and improving
this talent, he obtained employment aS a de
signer and painter on glass. He was doing
pretty well at these trades, having married
and settled in the town of Saintes. when he
chanced one day TO see an enamelled cup of
Italian majolica, and was seized with a great
desire 10 copy IL He knew nothing of pottery
nothing OF chemistry, but he possessed those
qualities So rarely unted-great quickneS> and
ingenuity, and an incredible amount OF pa
tlence. He set To work at once, making all
sorts OF mixtures, and testing them on
pieces of broken pottery which he sent 10 a
neighboring pottery 10 have fired. After
many unsuccessful attempts. and just aS he
was giving up hope, he found that on single
piece, out of batch of about 300, the mixture
had melted and formed an enamel. The next
thing was To put this To practical use. Now.
he must work in secret; so, building furn-
ace at home. he modelled vases of clay and
covered them with his newly discovered mix
tuTe. With these he filed his oven, and. light
ing the fire, Kept il burning constantly for six
! days and nights, but without melting the
enamel Thinking that he might have made
some mistake in the mixture, he nc ssGyS iiaU in
gradients, calcines, grinds and mixes them:
then applies them on fresh pottery which he
puts in The oven. still keeping the fire AT its
hottest. though 10 do so he had TO burn up his
chairs and tables, and the very woodwork of
his house: and still the enamel would not
melt. Not discouraged by this he tried again.
and yet again, although his neighbors called
him madman, and his wife denounced him
am ans last Ia he
Montmorenei secured him the patronage of
that nObleman, and eventually of the king.
He had already spent eight years expert
menting with his enamels, and il was eight
years more before complete success crowned
his efforts, but from this time he did not want
for patronage. MontmOrenci entrusted him
with some important alterations in the Cha
teau OF Econeu, near Paris. Here .Palissy
made grOttO and fountain, which he himself
alluded to as the one of his works i'm which he
40 m ri yIS 81 and ina ,.&.-
were eXerted in the adornment of the grotto:
and the rock from which the cascade fell was
a grand specimen of his painted pottery.
Figures of frogs and fishes were placed in and
about the water. lizards were upon the rock,
and Serpents We're coiled i'm the grass He
also worked in the adornment of the garden
OF the TuilereS and TO this he owes his preser-
yatiOn from the Massacre of St Bartholomew.
If PaliSsy's faience does not equal i'm giaze
or enamel the Delft or Italian wares it must
be remembered that these had been perfecting
for generations, while Palissy's ware was sole
~ the result of his own laber and research.
Nearly all of his work was for show, not use
and this is sufficient excuse for what were
otherwise an excess of ornamentation. Palissy
worked for the nobility, and his ware was
very highly priced. AT the present day all the
undoubtedly genuine pieces of Palissy ware
are known and catalogued, and when sold,
bring enormous prices. Very good limitations
OF his work, i'm many eases exact reprOduc-
tions, are made near Paris and are sold at very
reasonable figures. These, OF course, are made
in mOulds, while the genuine Palissy ware was
all modelled or carved i'm clay by the hand of
the MASTER and hence is impossible to initiate
perfectly.
Palssy was great lover of nature, and far
In advance of the times i'm his scientific knOwl
edged. His views were so heretica that only
the protection OF the king saved his life. A
last even this failed. and an old man, he was
taken to the Bastile. The king visited him and
urged him to recant. saying if he did not he
mics. Palissy replied, Those who compel you
a King, have no power over me, for know