BAILLY, Jean-Sylvain. Paris 15.9.1736 — Paris 10.11.1793. French Mathematician, Astronomist and Historian of Astronomy. Son of Jacques Bailly, an artist, and Cécile Guichon. Attracted early attention with his scientific skill. From 1763 member of French Academy. Also a politician, participated in early revolution, but was then executed. In 1789-91 Mayor…
BADER, Clarisse. Strasbourg 28.12.1840 — Paris 5/14.2.1902. Mlle. French Journalist and Pioneer of Women’s Study, also interested in India. Daughter of Alsatian army officer Daniel-Michel Bader. At the age of 20 she decided to write the history of the condition of women in human society, and started this task with…
BACOT, Jacques. St.-Germain-en-Laye (Indre) 4.7.1877 — Paris 25.6.1965. French Traveller and Tibetologist. Born in a family of cloth merchants, son of Raymond Bacot (1843–1917) and Marie Louise Bapterosses. With father and grandfather, who were experienced travellers, he himself made a journey round the world in 1904. In 1907 he conducted…
AYMONIER, Étienne-François. Le Châtelard (Savoie) 26.2.1844 — Paris 21.1.1929. French Colonial Officer and South-East Asian Scholar (the first European Specialist of Khmer and great pioneer of archaeology and epigraphy). Served in South-East Asia in 1869-88. Born in a family of agriculturalists in the then still Sardinian Savoy, son of Claude…
AUTRAN, Charles Georges Martin. Saint-Estèphe (Gironde) 29.10.1879 — Bois-Colombes (Hauts-de-Seine) 17.8.1952. French Oriental Scholar. Son of Fréderick Charles Autran (1853–1915), a Protestant lawyer. After studies in Paris (É.P.H.É.) and at Institute d’archéologie orientale in Cairo he became Professor at Faculté des lettres, University of Aix-en-Provence. In the early 1920s there,…
AUDOUIN, Édouard-M. Candé (Maine-et-Loire) 1864 — 1933. French Classical Philologist, Linguist and Historian. Agrégé 1887, Ph.D. 1898 Paris. From the 1890s Professor of Greek and Roman antiquities at Faculté des lettres, Université de Poitiers, still there in the 1920s. Publications: Diss. I. De la déclinaison dans les langues indo-européennes et…
AUBOYER, Jeannine. Paris 6.9.1912 — Sèvres near Paris 6.2.1990. French Indologist (Art Historian). Conservator and Professor in Paris. Daughter of auctioneer Jean Auboyer (1881–1958), studies in Paris mainly at É.P.H.É. (under Pelliot, Przyluski and Mus) and École du Louvre 1929-34 (Hackin, Grousset and Stern), also at Inst. de l’Art et…
ASSIER DE POMPIGNAN, Raoul-Henri. Maisons-Laffitte (Yvelines) 2.6.1862 — Toulouse (or Paris?) 11.12.1947. French Naval Officer interested in Indology. Son of Adrien Assier de P. and Marie Gastel. In 1884 graduated from École navale. In 1909 naval lieutenant, in the 1920s captain of frigate, in the 1930s retired, living in Tamaris-sur-Mer…
ARIEL, Édouard-Simon. Nantes 5.10.1818 — Pondichéry 23.4.1854. French Marine Officer and Indologist (Tamil scholar) in India. Son of Simon Ariel, lieutenant of royal customs in Nantes, and Victoire-Aglaë Gaultron. From 1836 in navy, 1840-44 in marine administration in Paris, then also student of Burnouf. In 1844 he went to Pondichéry…
BOURGUIGNON D’ANVILLE, Jean-Baptiste. Paris 11.7.1697 — Paris 28.1.1782. French Cartographer, Geographer and Historian of Geography. Son of Hubert Bourguignon, a tailor, and Charlotte Vaugon. Student of abbé de Longerue. One of the Royal Geographers at the age of 22 (1719). In 1754 member of A.I.B.L., 1773 of Académie des Sciences.…