From paint brushes to portraits, we love art.
(born 1509, St. Avit, Francedied 1590, Paris) French potter and writer. Known for his decorated rustic ware, a type of earthenware covered with coloured lead glazes, he was appointed inventor of rustic pottery to the king and the queen mother in 1565. His public lectures on natural history, published in 1580, revealed him to be a writer and scientist and a pioneer of the scientific method. A Huguenot, he was imprisoned in 1588 in the Bastille, where he died.
Find more information on Palissy, Bernard. Upgrade to Britannica Online for more on Palissy, Bernard.