Academic literature on the topic 'Bernard Palissy'

Abstract Bernard Palissy benefited from two centuries (mid-18th - mid-20th c.) of a striking reputation – only partly justified – as a precursor of the European geologists and as a prolific producer of a new ceramic ware. During the last decades that appreciation was revealed to be overrated. His scientific and technological fame were respectively founded on misreadings by 18th c. rediscoverers (Jussieu, Réaumur, Fontenelle) and on erroneous attributions to a so-called “rustic Palissy’s ware style” of most of the pieces of China with animals in full relief referred to Palissy. The attributions to the Palissy’s workshop of pieces including fossil shell casts, by 19th c. romantic ceramic collectors, was confirmed by Alexandre Brongniart [1854], the pioneer decipherer, along with G. Cuvier, of the geology of the Paris basin, who identified Lutetian fossil shells. Munier-Chalmas [in Dupuy, 1894], noting that Palissy did not accept that inland fossils could belong to any marine assemblages, did not understand that this misinterpretation contradicts the current fame of Palissy as the discoverer of marine transgressions. Modern geologists, following F. Ellenberger [1988], the first to point out this contradiction, undertook the rehabilitation of the true geological message of Palissy as a pluridisciplinary precursor in nature processes elucidation, at least equal to Leonardo da Vinci in accuracy. This contribution seeks also to solve the last major point of misunderstanding, which resulted in the mingling of the rare true rustic wares designed and produced in Palissy’s workshop at Saintes (according to the shells and vertebrates casts), with the more famous and numerous chinas, different in style, especially those with Tertiary fossil shells cast from nature, probably conceived more than a century after the rustiques figulines of Palissy, in a workshop set up in the northernmost Ile de France and not copied from them. The highest established merits of Palissy are acknowledged, that finally place him ahead of the world geologists.

Céramiste français de la renaissance, Bernard Palissy (1510-1590) a œuvré successivement à Saintes, Paris et Sedan. Il publie en 1563 (Recepte veritable) et 1580 (Discours admirables) deux ouvrages essentiellement scientifiques où il apparait comme un esprit résolument novateur. Il y décrit aussi ses céramiques décorées de reptiles, de poissons, de plantes et de coquillages qui ont fait sa célébrité. En 1555, sa renommée lui vaut la commande d'une première grotte en terre cuite pour Anne de Montmorency, puis d'une seconde, en 1565, pour Catherine de Médicis. Peu à peu oublié, le XIXème siècle le redécouvre et l'érige au rang de héros national, n'hésitant pas à brûler ses propres meubles pour alimenter son four. Un petit groupe de collectionneurs lui attribue alors de nombreuses productions en se basant sur la présence, au revers de ces céramiques d'un décor jaspe. A cette même époque, l'apparition de continuateurs et d'imitateurs de ses œuvres font qu'à l'heure actuelle, il est très difficile de séparer leurs pièces de celles de Bernard Palissy. L'étude du matériel trouve lors des fouilles du Grand-Louvre, dans son atelier des Tuileries, permet de mieux connaitre ses créations. Des études physico-chimiques nous ont notamment permis de montrer qu'il utilisait une technique d'opacification des glaçures tout à fait particulière. Il semble également que grâce à la technique du moulage, il soit parvenu à donner à ses créations un aspect naturaliste que l'on retrouve dans les célèbres « rustiques figulines » et qui atteint son paroxysme dans les réalisations architecturales. A partir de ces critères, nous avons pu démontrer que seul un très petit nombre de céramiques sont de la main même de Palissy.

Les céramiques glaçurées plombifères transparentes ou opalescentes de Bernard Palissy à la Renaissance constituent aujourd’hui encore des oeuvres techniquement inimitables, tant leurs procédés chimiques et thermiques restent énigmatiques. Ce projet porte sur l’étude de compositions de verres du ternaire SiO2-Al2O3-PbO auxquels Bernard Palissy a ajouté différents agents colorants ou opacifiants. Après une analyse multi-échelle fine de glaçures superficielles d’échantillons archéologiques (composition, propriétés thermomécaniques, micro-inclusions à l’interface glaçures/substrat céramique), on cherchera à les reproduire le plus précisément possible en laboratoire en jouant sur les matières premières, les conditions de traitement thermique et le support céramique. L’impact de la concentration en certains oxydes tels que Al2O3 sur la structure des verres (approche multi-spectroscopique), leur microstructure (nature, distribution des cristaux), leurs caractéristiques physiques (viscosité, coefficient de dilatation, couleur…) et l’interaction avec le substrat seront particulièrement étudiés. L’approche allie l’analyse approfondie d’un corpus archéologique et la reproduction des systèmes chimiques et des procédés thermiques. Elle permettra de connaître les indicateurs pertinents liés aux procédés innovants et aux matières premières qui permirent à Palissy d’obtenir des composites alliant la perfection mécanique (absence de fissuration, cohésion interfaciale remarquable) à celle de l’illusion réaliste. Ils permettront enfin de définir des critères d’authentification de ses oeuvres
The high-lead glazes transparent or opalescent made by Bernard Palissy during the Renaissance still constitute technically inimitable works, so their chemical and thermal processes remain enigmatic. This project involves the study of glass compositions of the ternary SiO2-Al2O3-PbO to which Bernard Palissy added various coloring agents or opacifiers. After a fine multi-scale analysis of superficial glazes of archaeological samples (composition, thermomechanical properties, the interface glazes / ceramic substrate), we will try to reproduce them as accurately as possible in the laboratory by playing on raw materials, heat treatment conditions and ceramic support. The impact of the concentration of certain oxides such as Al2O3 on the glass structure (multi-spectroscopic approach), their microstructure (nature, distribution of crystals), their physical characteristics (viscosity, coefficient of expansion, color ...) and interaction with the substrate will be particularly studied. The approach combines in-depth analysis of an archaeological corpus and the reproduction of chemical systems and thermal processes. It will enable us to know the relevant indicators linked to the innovative processes and raw materials that allowed Palissy to obtain composites combining mechanical perfection (absence of cracking, remarkable interfacial cohesion) with that of realistic illusion. Finally, they will enable us to define criteria for the authentication of his works

L’ensemble constitué par les céramiques en terre cuite à glaçure plombifère, auparavant regroupées sous le terme de « céramiques de Bernard Palissy » puis « suites de Palissy » ou « atelier d’Avon », n’a plus aujourd’hui d’attache géographique concrète ni d’histoire attestée. Il est en effet avéré que la légende et le mythe ont, depuis le début du XIXe siècle, toujours largement dominé. En dépit de leur présence importante au sein des collections publiques françaises et étrangères, la fragilité des connaissances actuelles sur ces pièces rend aujourd’hui leur étude approfondie indispensable. De nature fondamentalement transdisciplinaire, ce travail de thèse explore d’une part leur matérialité, avec la création d’un corpus des œuvres conservées en collections publiques (plats rustiques, pièces de vaisselle moulées, statuettes) et la prise en compte des analyses physico-chimiques ; d’autre part, par un travail minutieux de dépouillement d’archives et de recensement du matériel archéologique, il permet de mieux les situer dans une époque et dans un contexte de production parisien. Ces travaux reviennent ainsi sur l’histoire oubliée de ces objets en enquêtant sur leur origine, leur destination initiale et leur parcours depuis les collections du XVIIe siècle jusqu’aux celles des érudits du XIXe siècle qui les léguèrent en tant qu’objets d’art aux grands musées nationaux
This PhD thesis studies the whole terracotta lead-glazed ceramics produced in France at the end of the XVIth century and the beginning of the XVIIth century usually attributed to Bernard Palissy himself or his unidentified followers under the name Palissy ware ceramics. Legend and myth are widespread since the beginning of the XIXth century. As a consequence the study of these pieces which have proved to be very numerous in the French and foreign public collections has become essential. This transdisciplinary research examines on the one hand their materiality putting together a body of work (rustique figulines, relief-moulded dishes, statuettes) and taking into account physico-chemical analyses. On the other hand, it helps to place these ceramics in their Parisian historical production context by a meticulous study of archives and archaeological material. The research investigates their origin, their initial destination from the XVIIth century to the collections of French scholars or national museums' collections in the XIXth century

Cette thèse propose une lecture de l’œuvre de Bernard Palissy qui prend en compte le contexte réformateur qui se diffusa durant le Seizième siècle dans les divers domaines touchés par l’artiste: la religion, la science, la pratique artistique. Le premier chapitre fait le point sur l’état des connaissances certaines relatives à la vie et aux œuvres de Palissy, sur sa fortune critique, exposant ensuite une réflexion méthodologique sur les objectifs et les instruments de la thèse, et présente enfin un échantillon significatif d’exemplaires de la production rustique. Le second chapitre aborde la question du contexte réformateur dans lequel prirent forme les œuvres du céramiste, au niveau spirituel avec le refus de l’image sacrée de la part des premiers réformateurs protestants, mais aussi sur le plan épistémologique avec l’affirmation du savoir des praticiens, artisans, par opposition au savoir détenu par les théoriciens académiques. Le troisième chapitre s’interroge sur la signification de la rusticité revendiquée par Palissy dans ses œuvres, appelées rustiques figulines, en partant de l’usage fréquent de ce terme dans l’architecture de la Renaissance. Le quatrième chapitre est dédié à la description du jardin de Palissy ; il aborde les problèmes des possibles sources, de la nature de ce texte, et de sa dimension religieuse. Le cinquième chapitre est dédié à l’iconographie de la vaisselle rustique, et au lien entre art, spiritualité, et science, une réflexion qui aboutit sur une hypothèse interprétative profondément liée aux exigences spirituelles de l’artiste réformé
The thesis proposes a new and up-to-date reading of the artistic, figurative and written works of Bernard Palissy, a French potter who lived between 1510 and 1590. The first chapter takes on the current knowledge about Palissy’s life and work and the status of historiography about this artist. A methodological analysis will be achieved by studying a meaningful sample of his craftsmanship, as well as reflecting upon three of his written works. Then it examines the context in which the religious reform influenced Palissy’s work, as well as the epistemological reform constituted by the establishment of craftsmen as owners of a practical knowledge culminated in essays written in vernacular languages, of which the publications of our author are an example. The third chapter focuses on the notion of “rustic” that Palissy uses to describe his works, the rustiques figulines, starting from the architectural lexicon we try to locate the palissian lair in the artistic horizon where the taste for rustic was spreading on a Europe-wide scale. The fourth chapter is devoted to the description of Palissy’s garden, while trying to study in depth the nature of the publication itself, its possible sources and proposing new comparisons with other gardens of the time, raising the question of its religious dimension. Finally, we concentrates on the pottery and the link between science, religion and art that is created in the works of Palissy, and propose an interpretation of this objects as artefacts destined to the wunderkammern by virtue of a recurrent iconography, its specific techniques of realisation and symbolical meanings

Artigiano delle riforme. Stile rustico e ricerca della sapienza nell'opera di Bernard Palissy (1510-1590). Questa tesi intende proporre una nuova lettura, complessiva e aggiornata, dell’opera artistica, figurativa e scritta, di Bernard Palissy, ceramista francese vissuto tra il 1510 e il 1590. Questo autore poliedrico ha suscitato un grande interesse nell’Ottocento dando luogo a diverse biografie, ma cadde di nuovo nell’oblio della storia dell’arte fino agli scavi del giardino delle Tuileries negli anni 1980, scavi che fecero emergere il suo forno e migliaia di frammenti di materiale ceramico. Questa fondamentale scoperta generò nuove ricerche e la prima monografia di stampo storico-artistico ad opera dello studioso americano Leonard Amico (1996). Spesso considerato in modo isolato per la peculiarità delle sue opere, esclusivamente dedicate alla rappresentazione minuziosa della natura osservata nella sua regione del sud ovest della Francia, il fenomeno Palissy necessitava una riflessione aggiornata che potesse aiutare a comprendere i manufatti che ancora oggi continuano a stupire l’osservatore, per la peculiarità dei loro soggetti e il virtuosismo della loro realizzazione. In particolare, mancava una riflessione di carattere storico artistico sullo statuto, la funzione e la ricezione di tali opere, nonché del loro stretto legame tra la fede protestante dell’artista, i suoi interessi scientifici e le sue scelte iconografiche. Sempre menzionato nella letteratura relativa, ma mai veramente interrogato, questo nesso tra la religione rivendicata dall’autore e la sua arte in un certo modo iconoclasta mancava ancora di una riflessione dedicata. Il presente lavoro si compone di cinque capitoli. Il primo si propone di fare il punto circa le conoscenze certe relative alla vita e all’attività di Palissy, nonché dello stato della storiografia a lui dedicata. Prosegue con una riflessione metodologica sugli obiettivi e i mezzi di questa tesi, e presenta il catalogo delle opere che saranno contemplate in seguito. Considerata la natura frammentaria dei numerosissimi reperti che costituirebbero l’opera completa, questo corpus non è esaustivo e si deve dunque intendere come un campione significativo dell’arte ceramica qualificata come “rustica”. Vengono inoltre presentati i tre scritti di cui fu autore il ceramista, opere che sono il pilastro della nostra riflessione, perché al di là del fatto di custodire il pensiero palissiano, essi racchiudono la descrizione dettagliata della grotta realizzata per il Connestabile Anne de Montmorency, e di un progetto di giardino, oltre a un racconto autobiografico sulla vocazione artistica dell’autore stesso. Il secondo capitolo entra nel merito della questione del contesto riformatore in cui presero forma le opere di Palissy. Viene sviluppata la definizione di Riforma, intesa sia sul piano spirituale, con la diffusione del calvinismo che toccò principalmente la borghesia gli artigiani e gli artisti francesi, sia sul piano artistico, con l’affermazione degli artigiani quali detentori di un sapere pratico affidato a trattati scritti in lingua vernacolare, di cui fanno parte appunto le pubblicazioni del nostro protagonista. A proposito della religione protestante si affrontano la concezione dell’arte e i fondamentali cambiamenti imposti alle immagini di culto, alla luce dei quali tenteremo di spiegare la decisione del Nostro di abbandonare l’iniziale professione di pittore di vetrate destinate alle chiese per intraprendere una la carriera di ceramista naturalista. Il terzo capitolo intende soffermarsi sulla nozione di “rustico” che Palissy utilizza per qualificare le sue opere, sia le rustiques figulines sia la grotta per il Connestabile di Montmorency. Partendo dal lessico architettonico, si cerca di collocare l’antro palissiano nell’orizzonte artistico che vede diffondersi su scala europea il gusto per l’estetica rustica. È analizzata la simbologia legata alle erme che ornano la grotta, motivo ricorrente dell’arte rinascimentale e prediletto dal Nostro. Evidenziate le radici contestuali che sottintendono la nascita delle grotta, si evidenzia l’originalità dell’interpretazione del “rustico” da parte del ceramista di Saintes. Il quarto capitolo è dedicato alla descrizione del giardino di Palissy, un giardino che però rimase solo sulla carta in quanto, sino ad ora, non si è potuta determinare l’esistenza di alcuna traduzione pratica di quell’elaborato progetto. In questo capitolo si cerca di approfondire alcune argomentazioni lasciate in sospeso dalle ricerche precedenti ovvero la natura stessa della pubblicazione in cui l’autore sviluppa il prospetto del giardino, in bilico fra utopia e concreta realizzazione, e la controversa riflessione sulle fonti che ispirarono le didascalie bibliche grazie alle quali Palissy scandisce la visita ai diversi luoghi del giardino. Vengono inoltre proposti nuovi confronti con altri giardini dell’epoca, ponendo la questione della dimensione religiosa dei parchi rinascimentali. Il quinto capitolo, infine, è dedicato al vasellame e al nesso tra scienza religione e arte che si instaura nelle opere palissiane. Partendo dal contesto per cui furono creati, cioè quello dell’”arte del banchetto”, viene proposta una lettura di tali oggetti come manufatti destinati alle wunderkammern in virtù di un’iconografia ricorrente e di specifiche tecniche di realizzazione. Con quest’ultimo capitolo si propone una lettura spirituale delle rustiques sostanziata dall’insieme delle ricerche e delle interpretazioni elaborate lungo l’intero lavoro.
This thesis proposes a new and up-to-date reading of the artistic, figurative and written works of Bernard Palissy, a French potter who lived between 1510 and 1590. This work is divided into five chapters, the first of which takes on the current knowledge about Palissy’s life and work and the status of historiography about this artist. A methodological analysis will be achieved by studying a meaningful sample of his craftsmanship, as well as reflecting upon three of his written works. The second chapter will examine the context in which the Reform influenced Palissy’s work. A definition of Reform is developed in this chapter both on a spiritual level, with the spread of Calvanism among the bourgeoisie, and French craftsmen and artists, and artistically, with the establishment of craftsmen as owners of a practical knowledge culminated in essays written in vernacular languages, of which the publications of our author are an example. The third chapter focuses on the notion of “rustic” that Palissy uses to describe his works, the rustiques figulines as well as the cave for the Constable of Montmorency. Starting from the architectural lexicon we try to locate the palissian lair in the artistic horizon where the taste for rustic was spreading on a Europe-wide scale. The fourth chapter is devoted to the description of Palissy’s garden, while trying to study in depth the nature of the publication itself, its possible sources and proposing new comparisons with other gardens of the time, raising the question of the religious dimension of the renaissance parks. Finally, the fifth chapter concentrates on the pottery and the link between science, religion and art that is created in the works of Palissy. Starting from the context for which they were created, namely that of the “art of the banquet”, we propose an interpretation of this objects as artefacts destined to the wunderkammern by virtue of a recurrent iconography and of specific techniques of realisation. With this final chapter is suggested a spiritual reading of the rustiques which is substantiated within the research and interpretations developed throughout the thesis.