BOUGLÉ, Célestin Charles Alfred. Saint-Brieuc (Côtes-du-Nord, now Côtes-d’Armor) 1.6.1870 — Paris 25.1.1940. French Positivist Philosopher and Sociologist. Son of officer Célestin Aimable Bouglé (b. 1832) and Nathalie Louise Leroux (1841–1920), family originating in Brettany. Educated in Paris. From 1890 studies at École normale supérieure, agrégé in philosophy 1893. Ph.D. 1899. Taught…
BONET-MAURY, Amy Gaston Charles Auguste. Paris 2.1.1842 — Paris 20.6.1919. Rev. French Protestant Historian. Son of General Frédéric Bonet (catholic, 1792–1853) and Julie Chabrier (protestant). After school in Paris (lycée Henri IV) studies of theology at Geneva and Strasbourg, graduated 1867 from Strasbourg. Protestant pastor in Dordrecht 1867-72, Beauvais 1872-76 and Saint-Denis…
BOISSELIER, Jean Henri Joseph Albin. Paris 26.8.1912 — Paris 26.2.1996. French Archaeologist, Art Historian and Buddhist Scholar. Son of the military illustrator Henri Boisselier (1881–1959). In the 1920s studied at École nationale supérieure des Beaux-Arts in Paris, already then interested in Cambodian art. Worked as painter and drawing teacher. In…
BILLARD, Roger Louis. Puteaux (Paris) 29.12.1922 — Mennecy near Paris 30.12.2000. French Indologist. He was of modest origin and had to work after school, but the post in the Oriental bookshop Adrien Maisonneuve led him to studies and he soon entered É.L.O.V. Studied Hindi, Khmer, Arabic and Chinese, also Sanskrit…
BERTRAND, Marguerite Marie Gabrielle. Reims 29.3.1908 — Paris 16.2.1961. French Traveller, Reporter, Writer and Photographer. Of Lorraine, daughter of Paul Louis Anatole Bertrand and Marie Rose Héloise Ducrée, lost her father in WW I. Studied at a hospital in Paris, but did not pass medical examination. Then she worked in various…
BERNOT, Lucien. Gien (Loiret) 2.12.1919 — Brantes (Vaucluse) 14.7.1993. French Anthropologist. Son of farmer, grew up in country, from the age of 14 worked ten years as typographist. After WW II studied Chinese at É.L.O.V. (diploma 1947), then ethnography and Tibetan at É.P.H.É. In 1947-64 research scholar in C.N.R.S. In…
VÉQUAUD, Yves. Paris 5.9.1938 — Villiers-Saint-Denis (Aisne) 19.8.2000. French Anthropologist and Author. Publications: L’art de Mithila. 127 p. ill. 1975, English and German translations 1977. – The Women Painters of Mithila. 102 p. ill. L. 1977. – Bénarès. 108 p. Champ Vallon 1985. – Books not related to South Asia, e.g. Vive le…
VAILLANT, Louis Auguste André Marie. Paris 26.11.1876 — Arras (Pas-de-Calais) 18.2.1963. French Army Physician, Naturalist and Explorer. Son of Léon Louis Vaillant (1834–1914), Professor of Zoology, and Henriette Jeanne Hovius, educated in Paris. Studied medicine at Bordeaux, graduated 1902 and became physician in French colonial army. In 1905-09 he travelled with…
ST.QUENTIN, René de. 18?? — 19??. Frenchman, had spent 15 years in India (before 1889). His preface is signed in Le Petit-Quevilly in Normandy. Publications: Abrégé de Grammaire hindoustanie, essai d’étude phonétique de la langue hindoustânie: à l’aide de caractères romains, suivi d’un choix de phrases les plus usuelles et d’un…
RICCAZ, Alexis. Saint-Jean-d’Arves (Savoie) 26.1.1834 — Jabalpur 8.9.1892. Monseigneur. French Catholic Missionary in India. Ordained in 1861 as priest of Missionaries of St. Francis de Sales d’Annecy and arrived in India next year. Worked first in Visakhapatnam, where he quickly learned Telugu and Oṛiyā. From 1887 Monseigneur and the first…