, for all these names have
in turn been applied to the enigmatic and wonderful pottery, specimens
of which are now valued at more than their weight in gold, was once
believed to have been made by the librarian Bernard, and his assistant
Charpentier, for their patroness Helene de Hangest about 1529 at her
chateau at Oiron, near Thouars.[19] A few years ago this theory was
discarded in favour of one which assigned them to some unknown potter of
St Porchaire in the same region;[20] but even of this theory there is
insufficient proof, and we are left in doubt both as to the maker and
the place of origin. All we know is that the ware dates from the reign
of Henry II., and that it was probably made somewhere near Oiron, as
most of the specimens have been found in that district. The work is _sui
generis_, for it had no direct ancestry, neither did it leave any mark
on contemporary French pottery. Sixty-five pieces of the ware (see fig.
48) are known to be in museums and private collections; the Louvre and
the Victoria and Albert Museum have the best collections of their kinds,
but the Rothschilds still hold the greater number of examples. The ware
is fashioned in a simple whitish pipeclay, and ornamented with
interlacing strap-work patterns, typical of the period, inlaid in
yellow, buff or dark-brown clay. The forms are generally graceful, but
some examples are over-elaborate and overloaded with modelled ornament.
The pieces were designed to serve as candlesticks, salt-cellars, tazzas,
ewers, holy-water pots and dishes. After the vessels had been "thrown"
and "turned" to a perfect shape, metal tools, such as were used by the
bookbinders and casemakers of that day, were pressed into the clay, so
as to form sunk cells of ornamental tooling. These cells were carefully
filled with finely-prepared slips of other clays, that would burn
yellow, buff or dark-brown; and when the whole was dry the piece was
carefully smoothed again, and moulded reliefs were attached, or touches
of colour were applied. After being fired the ware was glazed,
apparently with the ordinary lead glaze of the time carefully prepared
and fired again. At a later period the ornament was not inlaid in this
elaborate manner, but was simply painted, as indeed it might all have
been so far as decorative effect is concerned.

[Illustration: FIG. 48.--Tazza of Oiron pottery. (Louvre)]

[Illustration: Oiron Potter's mark.]

_Palissy Ware._--Bernard Palissy was a geniu