FENICIO, Jacobo (Jacome, Finicio). Capua c. 1558 — Cochin 1632. Father, S.J. Italian Missionary, in India 1583-1632, working in Malabar Mission, mainly in Cochin and Calicut (Kochi & Kozhikode). Around 1603/09 he wrote in Portuguese an interesting account of Indian religion, which was used as a manuscript by his successors…
FEDERICI, Cesare de (Fedrici). Erbanno (Brescia) c. 1530 — 1600/03. Italian (Venetian) Merchant and Traveller in India. Left Venice in 1567 (Charpentier & Lach 1563, long stay in the Near East), travelled via Aleppo and Basra to Ormuz, by ship to Diu and Goa. From Goa he went by land…
EVOLA, Giulio (Julius) Cesare Andrea. Rome 19.5.1889 — Rome 11.6.1974. Italian Lawyer, Poet, Painter, Author, and Rightist Politician and Philosopher interested in Asian Religions. Born in an aristocratic Sicilian family, son of Vincenzo Evola (1854–1941), a telegraphic mechanic chief, and Concetta Mangiapane. Studied engineering and served in WW I as…
DONATI, Girolamo. Perugia 1857 — 1901. Italian Indologist. Student of De Gubernatis. For a while in Perugia (1885). Then libero docente di sanscrito at R. Istituto di Studi superiori di Firenze, from 1890 in charge of Sanskrit teaching when De Gubernatis moved to Rome. Also conservator of Museo Indiano in…
DOMENICO DA FANO (Dominicus a Fano,lay Francesco Magnani). 1674 — 1728. Father. Italian Capuchin Missionary, in Tibet in 1706-11and 1716-25, with interval in Europe. He was the Head of the Capuchin Mission in Lhasa, until his death, when he was succeeded by —> Orazio Della Penna. Started the quarrel against…
DEVOTO, Giacomo. Genoa 19.7.1897 — Florence 25.12.1974. Italian Linguist (Italic and IE). Professor in Padua and Florence. Son of Luigi Devoto (1864–1936), a physician, and Luigia Cortese. Educated in Milano, from 1915 studies at Pavia. In 1916 to army, returned to the university in 1919. Ph.D. 1920 Pavia. Then further…
DE VINCENTIS, Gherardo. 1845 — 19??. Italian Iranian (Persian) Scholar, also interested in Sanskrit. Professor of Persian at Regio Istituto Orientale di Napoli: incaricato 1878, eo. 1890, ord. 1904-07. Died before 1935. Publications: Il Gulistan, ossia il Roseto dello Scheich Sadi di Schiraz. Prima versione italiana … con commentario critico…
DE STEFANI, Eduardo Luigi. Naples 4.6.1869 — Rome 10.9.1921 (hardly 1913?). Italian Linguist (Greek Scholar) interested in Indology. Professor in Rome. After studies at Florence under Pavolini he was appointed in 1910 the “incaricato dell’ insegnamento della grammatica latina e greca” at R. Università di Roma (La Sapienza) and stayed…
DESIDERI, Ippolito. Pistoia, Tuscany 21.12.1684 — Rome 14.8.1733. S.J. Italian Missionary and a Pioneer of Tibetology, in Tibet in 1715-21, in India 1714-15, 1721-27, last years in Rome. Son of Iacopo D. and Maria Maddalena Cappellini, a patrician family, educated at Jesuit school in Pistoia. Joined Jesuits in 1700 and…
DE’ NOBILI DE MONTEPULCIANO, Roberto (Robertus de Nobilibus, Tattuvapodagar [‑pōtakar]). Montepulciano near Siena 1577 — Mailapur (Chennai) 16.1.1656. S.J. Italian Missionary in South India. Born of a family of high nobility (related to the Duke of Modena), joined the S.J. in 1597. Studies of theology in Naples and Rome. In…