BIAXCHIXI. KltANCESCO. 



BIARD, AUGUSTS-FRANCOIS. 



<; 



second wif*, m young widow, to whose ear* hi* declining years were 

 indebted for much comfort He scarcely manifested the infirmities of 

 age until 1 il'T, when he wai obliged on more than one occasion to 

 quit the pulpit, tearing bit sermon incomplete. In the autumn of 

 1698 he tewed to attend the school*. Re preached for the but timr, 

 January 18, 1600. He declined gradually under the weight of yean, 

 but excepting the partial Ion of memory in respect of recent occurrence*, 

 be retained hi* intellect unclouded to the but He died October 13, 

 1605. An intereating account of hi* latt moment* i* given by La Faye. 



Bera wa* a man of undoubted learning, talent, and seal for the 

 interest* of the church to which he belonged. Hii eminence is testified 

 by the virulence with which he ha* been attacked both by Roman 

 Catbo'ic and Lutheran divine*. Hi* writing* are now nearly forgotten : 

 in addition to those which we have speci6ed, we may add hi* ' Confes- 

 don of the Christian Faith,' 1560, written, it is said, to justify himself, 

 and in hope of converting his father; and his ' Kcclesiastical History 

 of the Reformed Churches of France, from 1521 to 1563,' published 

 in 1580. He l*o wrote a ' Life of Calvin.' La Faje hi* given a list of 

 lien's work*, which are fifty-nine in number. 

 (Antonins Fayun, 1'e Vila tt CHnt Baa ; Bayle.) 

 BlAXClH'Xi, FRAXCESCO, born at V.rona, December 1 3, 1 662, 

 studied at Padua, where he applied himself to mathematics under the 

 learned Prof, wor Montanari. He also made great progress in classical 

 learning, a taste for which induced him, after he left the univer-ity, 

 to proofed, in 1684, to Rome, where he became librarian to Cardinal 

 I'ii tro (>ttb< ni. In this situation Biancbini devoted all bis time to 

 ttudy : he investigated the monuments, medal*, inscriptions, and other 

 remains of antiquity ith which Rome abounds; and he then conceived 

 the idea of a universal history, grounded not to much upon written 

 authoritie*, aa upon the monuments of former times which have been 

 found in various i arts of the world. 



In 1680, according to Lalande in his ' Bibliographie Astronomique,' 

 he published at Bologna a ' DUlogo FUico-Astronomico contro il 

 Sistema Copernioano.' In 1689, Cardinal Ottoboni having become 

 pope, under the name of Alexander VIII., was enabled to provide for 

 BUnchiui, by making him a canon of Snnta Maria ad Martyres, and 

 bestowing on him some pensions besides. Alexander's pontificate was 

 very short, but it placed Itianchini above want Alexander's nephew, 

 also called Cardinal Ottoboni, continued after his uncle's death to 

 patrol i, and retained him in the office of librarian. 



In l'ii'7 I!iaiichini publi.-brd the first part of his uuiversiil history : 

 ' Istoria Univcrsnle provnta coi Moutiuieuti o figurata cui Simboli degli 

 Autichi,' 4to, Rome, 1697. It begins with the firt records we have 

 of the ea-'tern nation*, and ends with the destruction of the Assyrian 

 empire under Sardanapalus, and in full of curious erudition : it is 

 illustrated by plates. Biancbini however did not continue tho work. 

 Clement XI., who was raised to the papal chair in 1700, tent him to 

 Naples in 1702, to accompany the Cardinal Legnte Barbrriui, who went 

 to congratulate 1'hilip V. of Spain when he came to take possession 

 f that kingdom. Clement also bestowed several minor appointments 

 on him, and made him a canon of Santa Maria Maggiore. Biatichiui 

 bad taken deacon's order*, but be m-ver would be ordained presbyter. 

 In 1703 Bianchini wrote two dissertations on the Julian Calendar, 

 and on the vinous attempt* made, especially by St. Hi; |..,litu, for 

 .ing il ] revioiis to the Gregorian reform: 'Do Calendario et 

 Cyilo ( a>-sri, ac de Canone Pascbali Sancti Ilippoliti nmrtyrix,' 

 Uiaeertationr* dux ad S. D. N. Clementem XI., Pont Max.,' I;. .,,..% 

 1703. IManchini was employed by the pope in drawing a meridian line 

 in the rhurch of La Madonna drgli Angoli, like that traced by Ca-ini 

 in the church of Han IVtronio at Bologna. In 1712 he was sent by 

 Clement XI. to France to carry the cardinal's hat to the newly-made 

 canlinul, Mohan Soubise. After going to Paris, lie went to Holland, 

 and afteiwards to England, whon he visited Oxf.rd, nnd was r< c ircd 

 everywhere with marked attention by the learned. Having returned 

 to Home in June 1713, bo resumed his labours both in astronomy and 

 ard.Bology. He superintended, with great care, a fine edition of the 

 live* of the popes by Ans>taiu*, with note* and comments : ' Vit rr 

 Bonwnorum Pontincutn a R Petro Apostolo ad Nioolaum I. porducta), 

 car* Ana*U.ii a H, Eoclni* Bibliothecnrii,' 3 vol.. folio, 1718-28. 

 The fourth and last volume wa* published after Bianchini's death by 

 bis nephew, Oiiuwppe Bianchini, in 1745. 



In the year 1720, an ancient building wa* discovered near the Via 

 Appia, about a mile and a half outside of Roma, consisting of three 

 sepulchral chambers of the servants and frcedmen of Augustus and 

 his wife Uvia, Only one of tho three room* wa* cleared of the earth 

 and nalbish. which Bianchini inspected carefully. Row* of small 

 nicb>, like plceon** nests, one row above the other, ran along the 

 four aide* of the room, end every niche contiinrd two or n:ore ' ollic 

 cineraria,' or little urn* of terra cotta, in which the ashea of the dead 

 were deposited. Above the niches were tablets containing the names 

 and the offlor* of the petnoos whose remains lay in the urns beneath. 

 The total number of urns in that one room was above 1000. Another 

 building of the same description had been discovered some yean 

 before in another vineyard by the Via Appia, about half a mile nearer 

 ROOM. It alw eoodrted of three rooms, which contained at least 

 IUTS, likewise of servant* and liberti of Augustus : Kalibretti 

 pabUbed * dneription of them. The name* in the inscriptions 

 dBote individuol* from erery part of the Roman empire, some natives 



of Asia Minor and Syria, and others from the banks of the Danube, 

 he Rhine, or the Kbro. Some of the inscriptions refer to the time 

 of Claudius, and even to a later period, but by far the greater 

 number belong to the time of Augustus. Other sepulchral deposits 

 ve been found of the slave* and freedmcn of that emperor and his 

 wife Livb, altogether showing the amazing number of servants 

 attached to the great Roman families. Bianchini published the 

 description of the room which he had inspected : 'Camera ed luscri- 

 sioni Sepolcralt dei Liberti, Scrvi, ed Ufficiali della Casa di Augusto 

 scoperte uella Via Appia, ed illustrate con le Annotation! di Mon- 

 ignore Francesco Bianchini, Veronese, 1'anno 1726,' fol., Roma, 

 After exploring by day the sepulchral chambers in the Via Appia, 

 Bianchini used to attend to bis observatory by night The planet 

 Venus was the principal object of his observations. By attentively 

 examining the spots on that planet, he was enabled to determine the 

 period of its rotation. The result of his observations was pub: 

 under the title of ' Hesperi et 1'hosphori nova Phenomena, give Obser- 

 vationes circa Planetam Vcneri, a F. Biauchini, S. D. N. Pap:c Pnclato 

 Domesticp,' Roma, 1728. 



Bianchini formed the design of drawing a meridian line through 

 Italy, from the Adriatic to the Mediterranean, passing through Rome, 

 Mount Soracte, Assist, Gubbio, &c. With this view ho carried on his 

 operations for eight years, at his own expense, and was oblig d at last 

 to give them up for want of mean*. An account of his labours was 

 published after his death by his friend Kmtachio Manfred! of Bologna. 



While Iiiiuichiui was one day in 1727 exploring the ruins of tho 

 palace of the Ciesars on Mount Palatine, he fell through a broken 

 vault to a considerable depth, and hurt himself severely. Having 

 I'd his health in some measure, he resumed his elaborate, 

 description of those immense ruins, which however was not puM 

 till after his death : ' Del Palazzo de' Cesnri in Itoma, opera postuma,' 

 fol. Verona, 1738, with some fine engravings. He died at Rome, 

 March 2, 1729, and was buried in Santa Maria Maggiore. Tho city of 

 Verona raised a handsome monument to his memory in the cathedral. 

 There are ' dlogea ' of him in tho ' Nouvelles Litteraires de Leipsig,' 

 January, 1731, aud the 'Hist de I'Aca/lomie,' 1729. Muzuchelli and 

 Mazzoleiii have written biographies of Bianchiui, with a long list of 

 hU works. 



BIARD, AUGUSTE-FRANQOIS, an eminent French painter, was 

 born at I.yon iu 1800. Originally intended for the church, it was 

 not till bis sixteenth year that he received a few mouths instruction 

 in drawing in the schools of design at his native place. He was then 

 placed for awhile in the establishment of a manufacturer of artistio 

 paper-hanging*. ; and afterwards in the school of painting at l,;..n, 

 where however ho only studied for a eingle session. His knowledge 

 of his piofession has in fact been almost entirely aoquir d v 

 any formal or academic instruction ; and to his somewhat erratic 

 course of study may, no doubt, be ascribed much of bin singular 

 freedom from conventionalism iu composition and colour, and something 

 also, perhaps, of his occasional seemingly wilful disregard of thu 

 ordinary rules and proprieties of art 



IVI'oro fairly settling down as a painter, M. Biard obtained a wide 

 and valuable store of experience of the customs aud aspects of men 

 in different countries. Having in 1S27 obtained an appointment as 

 draughtsman on board a sloop of war, he iu that capacity visited 

 Malta, the Grecian Archipelago, Syria, Algiers, 4c. The foil 

 yi or he resigned this post in order to extend his travels, ami join 

 in succession through Knglaud, Scotland, Sxvit/erl.uid, It.ly, 

 some parts of Africa, Russia, Norway, Lapland, and Sweden, filling 

 his sketch-books aud portfolios with innumerable view 

 characteristic groups and figures, costumes, lie., drawn from all part* 

 of the wide region* traversed l>y him. A* early as 183d a picture 

 r-pr- denting 'An At tick of Brigands' had been purchased by the 

 - do Berry ; and from that time each annual exposition bora 

 U'titnony to his remarkable industry aud growing artistic powers. 

 In 1882 his ' Family of Mendicant*' gained the gold medal at tho 

 Paris Exposition; in 1B33 his ' Les Comediens Ambulant*.,' which now 

 adorns the gallery of tho Luxembourg, was purchased by the govern- 

 ment His position was by this time assured, and success incited 

 him to follow more resolutely tho bent of his own peculiar y 

 Instead of tho ordinary class of 'genre' pictures which he had at first 

 essayed, he now painted such subjects a* his ' Mohammedan 

 among the Bedouin*,' a 'Concert of Fellahs,' an 'Attack of Spanish 

 Brigands in the Sierra Morcna,' and others exhibiting his observance 

 of national peculiarities during his travels ; but he also struck into 



though strikingly diverse in aim, are pictures of remarkable power and 

 originality. Yet where, as with him is often the cose, the subject in of 

 a grave and even painful character, they have much of a grim grotesque- 

 ness intermingled with the sterner details ; while, where the theme is 

 of a humorous oast, amidst a great deal of what might be termed a 

 specie* of over-elaborate pictorial buffoonery, there is not a little that 

 is suggestive of a very opposite sentiment. The pictures above- 

 mentioned of ' Crossing the Line" and the ' Slave Trade' were repeated 

 by him for the Exhibition of the Royal Academy, London, in 1840, and 

 while their vigorous conception and masterly execution commanded 



