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smilax

(Encyclopedia)smilax, common name for a florists' plant of two separate genera (Asparagus and Smilax), both of the family Liliaceae (lily family, although some botanists recognize smilax as a separate family, the S...

spikenard

(Encyclopedia)spikenard spīkˈnärd [key], name for several plants. The biblical spikenard, or nard, was a costly aromatic ointment, preserved in alabaster boxes, whose chief ingredient is believed to have been de...

nightingale

(Encyclopedia)nightingale, common name for a migratory Old World bird of the family Turdidae (thrush family), celebrated for its vocal powers. The common nightingale of England and Western Europe, Luscinia megarhyn...

Monte Cristo

(Encyclopedia)Monte Cristo mŏnˌtē krĭsˈtō, Ital. mônˈtā krēˈstō [key], unpopulated, rocky island, 6 sq mi (15.5 sq km), belonging to Italy, in the Tyrrhenian Sea between Corsica and the Italian coast. I...

Mochi, Francesco

(Encyclopedia)Mochi, Francesco fränchĕsˈkō môˈkē [key], 1580–1654, Italian sculptor. Mochi's attraction to the baroque aesthetic led him to create dramatic sculptures notable for swirling drapery (e.g., Ar...

Locatelli, Pietro

(Encyclopedia)Locatelli, Pietro pyĕˈtrō lōkätĕlˈlē [key], 1695–1764, Italian violinist and composer. Much of his life was spent in Amsterdam, where he died. An outstanding virtuoso, he wrote studies and c...

Delvaux, Laurent

(Encyclopedia)Delvaux, Laurent lōräNˈ dĕlvōˈ [key], 1695–1778, Flemish sculptor. After studying in Rome, Delvaux developed a style that combined French neoclassic and Italian baroque elements. Ornate in the...

Dragonetti, Domenico

(Encyclopedia)Dragonetti, Domenico dōmĕˈnēkō drägōnĕtˈtē [key], 1763–1846, Italian double-bass virtuoso. He appeared in opera houses in Europe and after 1794 in concerts in England. He was a friend of B...

Albertinelli, Mariotto

(Encyclopedia)Albertinelli, Mariotto märyôtˈtō älbārtēnĕlˈlē [key], 1474–1515, Italian painter. A product of the Florentine school of the High Renaissance, Albertinelli was influenced by Leonardo and Ra...

Civitali, Matteo

(Encyclopedia)Civitali, Matteo mät–tĕˈō chēvētäˈlē [key], 1436–1501, Italian sculptor and architect, born and worked in Lucca, where his work is best represented. Trained in Florence, he executed elabo...