Bernard Palissy (1510 - 1589)

Bernard Palissy (1510 - 1589) - photo 1

Bernard Palissy

Bernard Palissy was a French natural scientist, painter, ceramicist and sculptor, geologist and writer of the French Renaissance.

Born into a family of artisans, Palissy apprenticed with his father as a glass artist and traveled throughout southwestern France comprehending pottery and studying geology. Today he is best known for his amazing lead-glazed pottery with images of various animals and people. After seeing a white glazed cup, probably of Chinese porcelain, in the 1540s, he set out to learn the secrets of its manufacture. His early research is described in De l'art de la terre. Although Palissy never succeeded in reproducing what he saw, his experiments gave him a thorough knowledge of the chemical compositions of minerals.

From 1575 in Paris, Palissy gave public lectures on natural history, which were published as Discours admirables (1580). In this treatise, Bernard Palissy touches on an incredibly wide range of subjects, from the techniques of ceramics, metallurgy and chemistry to hydrology, geology and fossils. He correctly identified fossils as the remains of ancient life. This work reveals him as a writer and scientist, a creator of modern agronomy and a pioneer of the experimental method, with scientific views generally more advanced than those of his contemporaries.

Date and place of birt:1510, Saintes, France
Date and place of death:1589, Paris, France
Period of activity: XVI century
Specialization:Artist, Ceramist, Geographer, Geologist, Glass painter, Naturalist, Porcelain painter, Sculptor, Writer
Genre:Animalistic
Art style:Renaissance

Creators Renaissance

Vittore Carpaccio (1465 - 1526)
Vittore Carpaccio
1465 - 1526
Lazzaro Bastiani (1429 - 1512)
Lazzaro Bastiani
1429 - 1512
Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi (1386 - 1466)
Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi
1386 - 1466
Domenico Di Bartolo (1400 - 1445)
Domenico Di Bartolo
1400 - 1445
Nicola di Ulisse Da Siena (XV century - ?)
Nicola di Ulisse Da Siena
XV century - ?
Israhel van Meckenem (1445 - 1503)
Israhel van Meckenem
1445 - 1503
Filippino Lippi (1457 - 1504)
Filippino Lippi
1457 - 1504
Hans Brosamer (1495 - 1554)
Hans Brosamer
1495 - 1554
Antonios Papadopoulos (1439 - 1481)
Antonios Papadopoulos
1439 - 1481
Andrea del Castagno (1423 - 1457)
Andrea del Castagno
1423 - 1457
Sandro Botticelli (1445 - 1510)
Sandro Botticelli
1445 - 1510
Gentile Bellini (1429 - 1507)
Gentile Bellini
1429 - 1507
Giovanni Battista Castello Il Genovese (1547 - 1637)
Giovanni Battista Castello Il Genovese
1547 - 1637
Johannes Crastonis (XV century - 1498)
Johannes Crastonis
XV century - 1498
Jacopo del Sellaio (1441 - 1493)
Jacopo del Sellaio
1441 - 1493
Francesco Primaticcio (1503 - 1570)
Francesco Primaticcio
1503 - 1570
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