Columbia Encyclopedia

(Encyclopedia) Cavalcaselle, Giovanni Battista jōvänˈnē bät-tēsˈtä kävälkäsĕlˈlā [key], 1820–97, Italian art critic and writer. Cavalcaselle studied painting at the Academy of Venice and traveled ext...

(Encyclopedia) Straparola, Giovanni Francesco jōvänˈnē fränchāsˈkō sträpärôˈlä [key], d. c.1557, Italian writer. His lyric verse was not of lasting merit, but he excelled as a storyteller. He was perhap...

(Encyclopedia) Viotti, Giovanni Battista jōvänˈnē bät-tēsˈtä vyôtˈtē [key], 1755–1824, Italian violinist, considered the greatest of his day. He made public appearances until 1783, and the next year he ...

(Encyclopedia) Benedetti, Giovanni Battista jōvänˈnē bät-tēsˈtä bānādĕtˈtē [key], 1530–90, Italian mathematician and physicist. An important forerunner of Galileo, Benedetti had diverse interests, inc...

(Encyclopedia) Pordenone, Giovanni Antonio de jōvänˈnē äntôˈnyō dā pōrdānôˈnā [key], c.1484–1539, Venetian painter. His real name was Giovanni Antonio de Sacchis. He studied in Venice and probably in...

(Encyclopedia) Verga, Giovanni jōvänˈnē vĕrˈgä [key], 1840–1922, Italian novelist, b. Sicily. He abandoned the study of law for literature and wrote several novels of passion in the style of the French real...

(Encyclopedia) Pergolesi, Giovanni Battista jōvänˈnē bät-tēsˈtä pārgōlāˈzē [key], 1710–36, Italian composer of the Neapolitan school. Although he died at the age of 26, he is credited with masterpiece...

(Encyclopedia) Basile, Giovanni Battista jōvänˈnē bät-tēsˈtä bäsēˈlā [key], 1575–1632, Italian writer. Basile held several important official positions, devoting his spare time to the study of folklore...

(Encyclopedia) Casa, Giovanni della jōvänˈnē dĕlˈlä käˈzä [key], 1503–56, Italian cleric and poet. He was archbishop of Benevento and papal nuncio to Venice. He wrote lyric verse, a life of Bembo, and a ...

(Encyclopedia) Borelli, Giovanni Alfonso jōvänˈnē älfônˈsō bôrĕlˈlē [key], 1608–79, Italian physiologist, physicist, astronomer, and mathematician; son of a Spanish infantryman. His wide interests led ...