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Riesener, Jean Henri

(Encyclopedia)Riesener, Jean Henri zhäN äNrēˈ rēzənĕrˈ [key], 1734–1806, French cabinetmaker, one of the major artists who made important contributions to the formation of the Louis XVI style in France. B...

Caylus, Anne Claude Philippe de Tubières, comte de

(Encyclopedia)Caylus, Anne Claude Philippe de Tubières, comte de än klōd fēlēpˈ də tübyĕrˈ kôN də kālüsˈ [key], 1692–1765, French archaeologist and antiquarian. Caylus learned drawing from Watteau....

Ruthven

(Encyclopedia)Ruthven rĭvˈən, ro͞othˈvən [key], Scottish noble family, believed to trace its ancestry to Thor, a Saxon or Dane, who settled in Scotland in the reign of David I. The name is derived from lands ...

Legionaries of Christ

(Encyclopedia)Legionaries of Christ, Roman Catholic order est. 1941 in Mexico by Father Marcial Maciel Degollado. The conservative order, which became wealthy and influential, was noted for successfully recruiting ...

limbo

(Encyclopedia)limbo, in Roman Catholic theology, an afterlife realm between heaven and hell where there is no punishment but where souls are denied the presence of God. Never part of Catholic dogma, the concept of ...

Maurepas, Jean Frédéric Phélippeaux, comte de

(Encyclopedia)Maurepas, Jean Frédéric Phélippeaux, comte de zhäN frādārēkˈ fālēpōˈ kôNt də môrəpäˈ [key], 1701–81, French statesman. He succeeded his father as minister of state at 14, the post ...

Frederick William II

(Encyclopedia)Frederick William II, 1744–97, king of Prussia (1786–97), nephew and successor of Frederick II (Frederick the Great). He had the power but lacked the ability of his distinguished predecessors. He ...

Directoire style

(Encyclopedia)Directoire style dērĕktwärˈ [key], in French interior decoration and costume, the manner prevailing about the time of the Directory (1795–99), from which the name is derived. A style transitiona...

Vergniaud, Pierre Victurnien

(Encyclopedia)Vergniaud, Pierre Victurnien pyĕr vēktürnyăNˈ vĕrnyōˈ [key], 1753–93, French revolutionary. A brilliant lawyer, he gained attention (1790) when defending peasants who had burned a castle. El...

Dalin, Olof von

(Encyclopedia)Dalin, Olof von o͞oˈlôv fən dälēnˈ [key], 1708–63, Swedish historian, poet, and journalist, the foremost figure of the Swedish Enlightenment. In his successful career in the civil service, Da...

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