Platter

Art Historical Context

This stunning platter, crafted by the renowned French ceramicist Bernardissy in the last quarter the 16th century exemplifies the Renaissance mastery of lead-glazed earthenware. an impressive 20½ x 15⅝ inches, this Paris-made piece from the Metropolitan Museum of Art's European Sculpture and Decorative collection bursts with naturalistic motifs—fish, frogs, snakes, shells—molded in high relief. Palissy's technique involved pressing real shells and casting lifelike creatures into clay, then glazing with lead for a vibrant, glossy sheen that captured light and texture, mimicking the wonders of nature. Palissy's work, often called "rustic wares," bridged art and science during France's religious wars and cultural flowering. A self-taught Protestant artisan, he drew inspiration from the natural world, embedding Protestant symbolism of resilience amid chaos. His platters were prized by nobility for their trompe l'oeil realism, blending utility with opulence in a era when ceramics rivaled metalwork. Today, this gift to the Met in 1953 invites us to marvel at Palissy's enduring legacy: a celebration of biodiversity in clay, reminding visitors of 16th-century ingenuity and the artistry of observation.

About the Artist

Bernard Palissy · 1510–1590

Bernard Palissy (c. 1510–1590), born to a poor family in the Saintonge region of France—possibly in Saintes, Périgord, or near Agen—began his career apprenticed to a glass painter before becoming a wandering journeyman portrait painter, glassworker, and land surveyor across France, the Low Countries, and Italy. He learned the rudiments of pottery in La Chapelle-des-Pots and settled in Saintes as a...