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Voltaire, François Marie Arouet de

(Encyclopedia)Voltaire, François Marie Arouet de fräNswäˈ märēˈ ärwāˈ də vôltĕrˈ [key], 1694–1778, French philosopher and author, whose original name was Arouet. One of the towering geniuses in lite...

Champaigne, Philippe de

(Encyclopedia)Champaigne or Champagne, Philippe de both: fēlēpˈ də shäNpäˈnyə [key], 1602–74, French painter, b. Brussels, of Flemish parents. In 1621 he went to Paris, where he worked with Poussin on the...

Medici, Francesco de'

(Encyclopedia)Medici, Francesco de' dā mĕˈdĭchē, Ital. māˈdēchē [key], 1541–87, grand duke of Tuscany (1574–87); son and successor of Cosimo I de' Medici. In his reign the decline of the Medici family...

Marie Antoinette

(Encyclopedia)Marie Antoinette ăntwənĕtˈ, äNtwänĕtˈ [key], 1755–93, queen of France, wife of King Louis XVI and daughter of Austrian Archduchess Maria Theresa and Holy Roman Emperor Francis I. She was mar...

Chénier, Marie Joseph

(Encyclopedia)Chénier, Marie Joseph shānyāˈ [key], 1764–1811, French poet and dramatist, b. Constantinople; brother of André Chénier. A member of the Convention, the Council of Five Hundred, and the Tribun...

Argenson, René Louis de Voyer de Paulmy, marquis d'

(Encyclopedia)Argenson, René Louis de Voyer de Paulmy, marquis d' rənāˈ lwē də vwäyāˈ də pōmē märkēˈ därzhäNsôNˈ [key], 1694–1757, French foreign minister (1744–47), brother of Marc Pierre d'...

Vien, Joseph-Marie

(Encyclopedia)Vien, Joseph-Marie zhôzëfˈ-märēˈ vyăNˈ [key], 1716–1809, French neoclassical painter. A protégé of the comte de Caylus, he won the Prix de Rome and studied in Italy. He was appointed direc...

Saint-Jean-de-Luz

(Encyclopedia)Saint-Jean-de-Luz săN-zhäN-də-lüz [key], town (1990 pop. 13,181), Pyrénées-Atlantiques dept., SW France, in the Basque region (see Basques), on the Bay of Biscay. It is a beach resort with a cas...

de Mille, Agnes

(Encyclopedia)de Mille, Agnes (Agnes George de Mille) də mĭl [key], 1905–93, American choreographer and dancer, b. New York City; granddaughter of Henry George, daughter of playwright director W. C. de Mille, a...

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