The Great Ceramist Bernard Palissy's Techniques: Platter in Metropolitan Museum of ArtSeveral weeks ago as I was wandering through the Metropolitan Museum of Art, a relief oval dish by Bernard Palissy (1510 - 1590) shook me (Figure 1). The French ceramist special treatment of three dimensional objects placed on a plate, in other word, a relief sculpture but in arial view. As I looked closer, I realized the artist was depicting a marine life form for the theme of the Platter which was irrational at that time.The Platter was a tin glazed earthernware, referred to as faience in France, a name originated from Faenza from Florence 1, produced in the last quarter of the 16th century. Palissy ...view middle of the document...
Romano wants people to be emotionally engage and serenity by disturbing the classical architectural order. He allowed rusticated keystones to drop below the line of their frieze. The court is exactly square and be filled with a labyrinth. It seems that Giulio attempted to express not only the dramatically but also collapse the norm of Renaissance. Palissy was very much like Romano which both wanted to make a contrast statement they disliked the rules of the Renaissance.Although Platter was a ceramic piece full of humor in its content, the techniques were very mature and very a modern approach during that period which related to Palissy's previous career as a geologist, land surveyor and stained-glass artist. He employed much of his observations and techniques into ceramic pieces, however; he never signed any of the work. A lot of replication was produced during and later in Palissy's life and imitations were often hard to distinguish. The only documented work was a "grotte rustigue", which was destroyed, an invitation to design for the garden of the Palais des Tuileries by a powerful patron Catherine de Medici of the Louvre 5. Bernard Palissy's rustic Platter was revolutionary and generated a new trend of movement in ceramic. The deconstrusting of traditional form and presented in a way which is emotionally engaged.Figure 1. (Please refer to footnote 6 for weblink)Bernard Palissy, Platter (Last quarter of the 16th century). Lead-glazed earthenware, French,H. 20 1/2 in. x W. 15 1/2 in. x D. 2 13/16 in.(Gift of Julia A. Berwind, 1953; courtesy of Metropolitan Museum, New York) 6Figure 2 (Please refer to Bibliography by Spiron Kostof: A History of Architecture Setting and Rituals on page 415 for picture)Foot notes1. Hugo and Marjorie Munsterbery. World Ceramic from Prehistoric to Modern Times. (New York: Penguin Studio...
