Ewer 1585 - 1615

Bernard Palissy made this Ewer in sixteenth-century France, using glazed earthenware. Palissy was not only a potter but also a Huguenot, a French Protestant, and his work reflects the religious and social upheavals of his time. The imagery on the ewer is rich with classical and mythological references but look closely and you might see subtle nods to Palissy's religious beliefs, coded into the imagery at a time when Protestants were persecuted. The ewer form itself speaks to the dining culture of the French elite, a class riven by religious conflict. Palissy's patrons were likely drawn to the ewer's beauty and its display of humanist learning, but perhaps also to its quiet defiance. To fully understand such pieces, art historians dig into period documents: letters, religious pamphlets, and even court records. These sources help us understand the complex dance between art, belief, and power in the early modern world, reminding us that even decorative objects can be powerful statements.