Palissy Ware

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

Dishes and 'similar articles of pottery covered with models offish, reptiles, shells, flowers, leaves, etc., carefully coloured and enamelled in high relief; so called after Bernard Palissy (1510-89), the French potter and enameller.

Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)

Sources & notes

Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.

Common questions

What does “Palissy Ware” mean?

Dishes and 'similar articles of pottery covered with models offish, reptiles, shells, flowers, leaves, etc., carefully coloured and enamelled in high relief; so called after Bernard Palissy (1510-89), the French potter and enameller.

Is “Palissy Ware” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.