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Tacca, Pietro

(Encyclopedia)Tacca, Pietro pyāˈtrō täkˈkä [key], 1577–1644, Italian sculptor. A pupil of Giovanni Bologna, Tacca adopted the tortuous poses of mannerism and combined them in his bronzes with a classical na...

Wright, Joseph

(Encyclopedia)Wright, Joseph, 1756–93, American portrait painter, b. Bordentown, N.J., son of Patience Lovell Wright. He studied under Benjamin West in London, where he painted the prince of Wales (later George I...

Berenice, c.273–21 b.c., queen of ancient Cyrene and Egypt

(Encyclopedia)Berenice, c.273–21 b.c., queen of ancient Cyrene and Egypt. She was the daughter and successor of King Magas of Cyrene. In 247 b.c. she married Ptolemy III, thereby effectively annexing Cyrene to Eg...

Eustace II

(Encyclopedia)Eustace II yo͞oˈstĭs [key], d. 1093, count of Boulogne. He was the brother-in-law of Edward the Confessor of England. Visiting England in 1051, he and his followers became involved in a brawl with ...

Godoy, Manuel de

(Encyclopedia)Godoy, Manuel de mänwĕlˈ dā gōᵺoiˈ [key], 1767–1851, Spanish statesman. An army officer, he won the favor of Queen María Luisa and rose rapidly at the court of Charles IV. The king made him...

Julius II

(Encyclopedia)Julius II, 1443–1513, pope (1503–13), an Italian named Giuliano della Rovere, b. Savona; successor of Pius III. His uncle Sixtus IV gave him many offices and created him cardinal. Innocent VIII, s...

Pius V, Saint

(Encyclopedia)Pius V, Saint, 1504–72, pope (1566–72), an Italian named Michele Ghislieri, b. near Alessandria; successor of Pius IV. He was ordained in the Dominicans (1528) and became celebrated for his auster...

Frederick the Fair

(Encyclopedia)Frederick the Fair, c.1286–1330, German antiking (1314–26), duke of Austria, son of Albert I, German king. On the death of Henry VII, Holy Roman emperor and German king, the split between the supp...

Melozzo da Forlì

(Encyclopedia)Melozzo da Forlì mālôtˈtsō dä fōrlēˈ [key], 1438–94, Umbrian painter. His extant works, though few, reveal him as a painter of power and individuality. He is especially notable for his bold...

Perceval, Spencer

(Encyclopedia)Perceval, Spencer, 1762–1812, British statesman. He had a profitable law practice before he entered the House of Commons as a Tory in 1796. He was solicitor general (1801–2), attorney general (180...