Henry Morley

Palissy the Potter. The Life of Bernard Palissy, of Saintes, his Labours and Discoveries in Art and Science; With an Outline of His Philosophical Doctrines...

London: Chapman and Hall 1852 2 vols. Full dark brown morocco, spine lettered in gilt, a.e.g. A fine copy. Palissy (1510-1589) was a french potter. For 16 years he worked in vain to imitate white-glazed pottery (probably Chinese), even burning his furniture to fire his kilns. He succeeded in producing a widely imitated pottery, Palissy ware, admired for smooth glazes in richly colored enamels. He was appointed (c.1562) royal potter to Catherine de’ Medici and created platters, ewers, and other ornamented pottery from the French court. He is noted for pieces reproducing scriptural and mythological subjects in low relief and for his rustic pieces decorated with sharply modeled forms copied from nature- notably reptiles, insects, and plants. He gave public lectures on natural history. A writer of outstanding ability on a diversity of topics, including religion, chemistry, mineralology, philosophy, and agriculture, he published two collections of discourses (several times reedited as his complete works)- Recepte veritable (1563) and Discours admirables (1580); the latter includes the story of his struggle to create his ware. Many of his views on nature have been confirmed by scientists. In 1588 he was sent, as a Huguenot, to the Bastille, where he died.

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• ordernr.: 11920

• bookseller: J.N. Bartfield (USA)