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Redi, Francesco

(Encyclopedia)Redi, Francesco fränchāsˈkō rāˈdē [key], 1626?–1698?, Italian naturalist, poet, philologist, and court physician to the dukes of Tuscany. Through controlled experiments he demonstrated that c...

Solimena, Francesco

(Encyclopedia)Solimena, Francesco fränchāsˈkō sōlēmāˈnä [key], 1657–1717, Italian painter. Painting in the decorative tradition of the late baroque in Naples, Solimena was a technical virtuoso. His decor...

Squarcione, Francesco

(Encyclopedia)Squarcione, Francesco fränchāˈskō skwärchōˈnā [key], 1397–1468, Italian painter; teacher of Mantegna. According to tradition he was a tailor and embroiderer who turned to painting c.1429 and...

Borromini, Francesco

(Encyclopedia)Borromini, Francesco fränchāˈskō bōr-rōmēˈnē [key], 1599–1677, major Italian baroque architect. His first independent commission (begun 1634) was San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, Rome, one o...

Zuccarelli, Francesco

(Encyclopedia)Zuccarelli, Francesco fränchĕsˈkō tso͞ok-kärĕlˈlē [key], 1702–88, Florentine landscape painter and decorator. He twice visited London, where he decorated the Opera House and was well known ...

Berni, Francesco

(Encyclopedia)Berni, Francesco fränchāsˈkō bĕrˈnē [key], 1497?–1535, Italian humorous poet, a priest. He was noted for his burlesque capitoli, light, often ribald verses in terza rima. He revised Boiardo's...

Sforza

(Encyclopedia)Sforza sfôrˈtsä [key], Italian family that ruled the duchy of Milan from 1450 to 1535. Rising from peasant origins, the Sforzas became condottieri and used this military position to become rulers i...

Jeritza, Maria

(Encyclopedia)Jeritza, Maria yərĭtˈsə [key], 1887–1982, Austrian-American soprano. b. Brünn (now Brno). After her debut as Elsa in Lohengrin at Olmütz (now Olomouc) in 1910, she was a member (1912–35) of ...

Montessori, Maria

(Encyclopedia)Montessori, Maria märēˈä mōntās-sôˈrē [key], 1870–1952, Italian educator and physician. She was the originator of the Montessori method of education for young children and was the first wom...

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