CHEVALIER, Jean-Baptiste. Blois 23.4.1729 — Conan near Blois 30.4.1789. French Traveller in India and Tibet. Son of Jean-Baptiste Chevalier, a lawyer and royal adviser, and Marie-Catherine de La Saussaye. In French colonial service left for Bengal in 1752, in 1755-57 explored still independent Assam, trying without success to get an…
CHAVANNES, Émmanuel-Édouard. Lyon 5.10.1865 — Paris 29.1.1918. French Sinologist and Buddhist Scholar. Born in a Protestant family, son of Frédéric.Émile Chavannes (1836–1909, an engineer) and Blanche Dapples (1844–1865, died after his birth). Educated in Lausanne, Lyon and Paris (Lycée Louis-le-Grand). In 1885-88 studies at École normale supérieure. Now began Chinese…
CHARENCEY, Charles-Félix-Hyacinthe Gouhier, comte de. Paris 8.11.1832 — Saint-Maurice-lès-Charencey (Orne) 12.3.1916. French Politician and lay Philologist, Linguist and Ethnologist. Son of politician Charles-Léonce Gouhier de Charencey (1804–1869, of an old Normandian family) and Noémi Patry. Himself a Royalist politician and local administrator. From 1869 until his death membre du conseil…
CHARDIN, Jean-Baptiste (1681 Sir John Chardin). Paris 16.11.1643 (Julian 6.11.) — Chiswick, London 5.1.1713 (25.12.1712). French Huguenot Jeweller and Traveller. Sent to the east by his father, the wealthy Parisian jeweller Daniel Chardin, in 1664 he visited Persia (entering the service of Shah Abbas II in Isfahan), then Surat and…
CHANTRAINE, Pierre Louis. Lille 15.9.1899 — Paris 30.6.1974. French Classical (Greek) Scholar and Linguist interested in India. Professor in Paris. Son of a classical scholar. Educated in Cambrai, studies in Paris and Lille (Ernout), in 1922–25 again in Paris (Meillet, also Vendryes, Bloch, P. Mazon). Ph.D. 1927. In 1925–28 maître…
CASAL, Jean-Marie. Troyes 30.6.1905 — Antibes 12.12.1977. French Archaeologist. Husband of —> Geneviève Casal (née Bell, 1909–2002). After studies of Law he started a commercial career, but captivity during the WW II changed his life. After the war he studied at Louvre under Ph. Stern, and met there his future…
CARRÉ, Barthélémy. 1636 — after 1699. Abbé. French Traveller. Of Blois, educated by Jesuits, took religious career and was ordained priest. From 1662 served in the navy, apparently as chaplain, in Atlantic, Mediterranian and Levant. Sent by Colbert with F. Caron to Madagascar, they arrived at Surat in 1669. Carré…
CARL, Jean Eugène. Saint-Dié-des-Vosges 23.9.1900 — London 3.4.1941. French Architect and Archeologist. Son of Jules Antoine Carl and Zénéide Riabon. In the 1920s he was in Maison Franco-Japonais in Tokyo, then Hackin’s assistant in the French excavations in Afghanistan in 1928-40, participating in the most part of his projects and in…
CALMETTE, Jean. Rodez (Aveyron) 5.5.1692 (not 1693) — Chickballapur, Karnataka ?.2.1740 (hardly 1739). S.J. French Missionary and a Pioneer of Indology. He joined the S.J. as novice in Toulouse in 1709 (not in 1720!). Ordained 1725 and left for India in 1726 and worked at Carnatic mission, in Carveypondi (near…
CAIX DE SAINT-AYMOUR, Amédée, vicomte de. Senlis (Oise) 26.4.1843 — Paris 1.2.1921. French Archaeologist and Historian with early interest in Comparative Linguistics. Studied law and linguistics, later turned to archaeology. Son of Léon de Caix de Saint-Aymour (maire of Ognon) and Louise Marie Eugénie Raffard de Marcilly. In 1869 led an…