Bernard Palissy

Hello! My name is Bernard Palissy. I was born in France a very, very long time ago, around the year 1510. When I was a boy, I loved exploring nature and making art. One day, I saw the most beautiful cup I had ever seen. It was covered in a smooth, shiny white coating called enamel. I decided right then and there that I would learn how to make it myself, no matter what!

Figuring out the secret to that beautiful white enamel was much harder than I thought. For almost sixteen years, I worked day and night in my workshop. I mixed different kinds of clay and minerals, trying to find the perfect recipe. I built a special oven called a kiln to heat my creations. I failed so many times, but I never gave up. Once, I ran out of wood to keep my kiln's fire going. I wanted to finish my experiment so badly that I broke up my wooden tables and chairs, and even the floorboards of my house, just to keep the fire burning! It was a very difficult time, but I knew I was close to a wonderful discovery.

And then, around the year 1557, I finally did it! I discovered how to make beautiful, colorful, shiny glazes for my pottery. I was so happy! Because I loved nature so much, I decorated my plates, platters, and bowls with amazing, lifelike creatures. I would find lizards, snakes, fish, and shells and use them to make molds, so my pottery looked like a little piece of a riverbed or a forest floor. People called my creations 'rustic ware,' and they became very famous. Even the Queen of France loved my art!

I lived a long life and passed away when I was about 80 years old. Today, people can still see my amazing pottery in museums all over the world. I hope that when you see them, you remember my story and know that if you have a dream, you should never, ever give up on it.