BARDELLI, Giuseppe. Branciolino, Pieve S. Stefano, Arezzo 10.4.1815 — Florence 2.10.1865. Abbate. Italian Indologist and Orientalist (Sinologist and Coptic Scholar). Professor at Pisa, one of the first pioneers of Indian studies in Italy. Tuscan, son of Michelangelo B. and Maria Gabrieli. Began his career as a priest after the seminary Castiglion Fiorentino (ordained 1837), but O.T. Exegetics made him interested in Egyptology and in Oriental studies in general. After nomination as Professor at Pisa in 1843 he began serious studies in Rome (Sanskrit from Mezzofanti) and Paris (Burnouf, Chinese under Julien). He planned an edition of the Atharvaveda and went to London and Oxford in order to collate manuscripts, but left then his work to Whitney & Roth. Back in Italy in 1849, he taught as Professor at Pisa Coptic, Sanskrit and Chinese until 1851. He had no students and his chair was suspended. In 1852 he got a modest position in Biblioteca Laurenziana in Florence, but also continued there the teaching of Coptic and Sanskrit. From 1859 Professore di sanscrito at Istituto Superiore di Firenze, in 1862 transferred to Pisa University.

Bardelli prepared an edition of Abhinanda’s Yogavāsiṣṭhasāra, but did not find a publisher. Among his papers are several other unpublished Sanskrit texts. With Biblical idea he combined all languages into three major groups: Japhetic-IE, Semitic, and Hamitic-Turanian. In Paris he befriended with —> Kellgren, who in a letter characterized him as an exceptionally kind man. Among his students were —> Fumi, Giussani and Lasinio.

Publications: La lingua sanscrita e la lingua latina. 45 p. Florence 1859; a few articles on comparative linguistics.

– An edition of the Coptic book of Daniel, 1849; biography of Ippolito Rossellini, 1843.

Sources: A. De Gubernatis, Cenni 1872, 5 & *Matériaux 1876, ??; G. Tortoli, Archivio Storico Italiano 3:3 (42), 1866, 210-222; Windisch 440; Mohl, JA 6, 8, 1866, 18f.; Gosche, ZDMG Wiss. Jahrb. 1862–67, 62.