Columbia Encyclopedia

(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) Silva, Antonio José da əntôˈnyo͝o zho͝ozĕˈ dä sēlˈvə [key], 1705–39, Portuguese playwright, b. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. He belonged to a family of “New Christians” (Jews forced to con...

(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) Carmagnola, Francesco Bussone da fränchĕsˈkō bo͞os-sôˈnā dä kärmänyôˈlä [key], c.1380?–1432, Italian condottiere. He fought for Filippo Maria Visconti, duke of Milan, in his wars again...

(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) Caravaggio, Polidoro Caldara da dä kärävädˈjō [key], c.1496–1543, Italian painter. His surname, Caravaggio, came from his birthplace. A student of Raphael, he was responsible for some of the ...

(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 ...