I am aware of two makers of contemporary Palissy ware (Geoffrey Luff and Christine Viennet), personally own their work, and have visited their respective studios. Both reside in France and are highly recommended. If there are others I have overlooked, please e-mail me with particulars and we will try to include you in the future.

Geoffrey Luff is an Englishman who was partially educated in France, and has resided there for many years. He is both a professional furniture restorer and ceramist whose passion for the life and work of Bernard Palissy has led him to emulate the same process as Palissy nearly 450 years ago. Luff molds actual flora and fauna (as did Palissy) to produce the elements in his work and hand finishes the casts. The completed works are extremely realistic, so much so, that some produced early in his career which were unmarked have been mistaken for 19th-century originals. Today all pieces are marked, usually on the front with an engraved monogram of his initials, "G.L." The marks are slightly changed annually to differentiate each year.

Luff's ceramics have been exhibited in France in recent years. He is represented in London by Anthony Redmile, The Furniture Cave, 533 King's Road, London SW10, Tel: 0171-351-3813, where an excellent selection is available for sale. You can also purchase or commission works directly by contacting Geoffrey Luff. Direct purchases are encouraged.

If you wish to visit the studio, it's an approximate 2 1/2/ hour drive to Restigné from Paris, or 45 minutes from Tours. It may also be possible to meet him in Tours if you are visiting the area. Don't forget to see the large Palissy ware exhibit (see What's New) at the Tours Musée des Beaux Arts. Tours is only 70 minutes from Paris by TGV.