Station: [8] Bernard Palissy and his school

These pieces of French pottery are from the studio of Bernard Palissy and from his school, with some being almost 500 years old. The most striking features are the decoration in high relief and the uniform range of colours, predominantly blues, greens, yellows, browns and shades of violet. During his lifetime, Palissy was considered a major artist and his clients included the French crown. In the 16th century, he adorned entire grottos in the royal gardens with his opulent ceramics. Which is remarkable, because Bernard Palissy was a Huguenot!
As a successful ceramicist, Palissy established his studio in the town of Saintes in western France in around 1540. There, he witnessed Protestants preaching against the Roman Catholic Church. In the mid-16th century, at the age of around 40, Bernard Palissy himself converted to Protestantism and founded a Huguenot congregation in Saintes. As a Reformed Christian, he saw fellow believers being persecuted and arrested, and dying as martyrs. But for a long time, Palissy himself was shielded by his influential patrons and the royal family. Despite being arrested, he avoided any severe punishment. 
Bernard Palissy eventually moved from Saintes to Paris. As a man of many talents with a keen mind, he took up teaching and lectured on natural science during his time in Paris. He was even there during the St Bartholomew's Day Massacre in 1572, though he and his family managed to avoid the slaughter. As to how? We don't know. 
Towards the end of the 16th century, the Huguenots found themselves in an increasingly difficult situation in France. New edicts forced Protestants to renounce their faith or leave the country. Bernard Palissy didn't live to see the Edict of Nantes and the temporary protection it offered Reformed Christians. At the age of 80, he too was arrested. When he refused to renounce his faith, he was imprisoned. After two years behind bars, he ultimately died in the Bastille in Paris. 
In 1985, some four centuries later, an astonishing discovery was made in Paris. During building work for the famous glass pyramid – the new main entrance to the Louvre – a pile of pottery shards from old pieces by Palissy came to light. The excavations had uncovered the great master potter's old studio. 

Foto: © DHG