Panpsychism represented. The animate world of Bernard Palissy, 1510–1590
Intellectual History Review December 11, 2023 François Quiviger
Bernard Palissy, a 16th-century French potter and natural philosopher, held panpsychic views—the belief that all matter, including minerals and metals, possesses a form of life or soul. This paper examines how those ideas shaped his artistic practice, particularly his ceramic works and garden projects. By connecting his philosophical writings to surviving artifacts, the author argues that Palissy's art was a direct expression of his conviction that nature is animate and that the artist's role is to reveal the life within raw materials.