Bernard Palissy (c.1509-1589)

An outstanding French potter. He was born at Agen, and was apprenticed to a glass-painter. He then spent some time travelling around France before settling in Saintes. From around 1539 he conducted a series of experiments to make an improved type of pottery, using a kiln in his own home.

He is best known for his rustic wares: dishes decorated to represent small ponds, with realistically modelled fish, snakes, lizards, insects, shells and aquatic plants. These were coloured with glazes with greens, greys, browns and blues predominating. These wares were imitated in his own time and into the 17th century. They were also widely copied in the 19th century - see Palissy ware.