BONER, Alice. Legnano, Lombardy 22.7.1889 — Zürich 13.4.1981. Swiss Artist (Sculptor) and Art Historian of India. Born in Italy of Swiss-English parents, engineer Georg Boner and Alice Kathrine Brown. School in Italy, the family moved back to Switzerland only in 1911. Received training in sculpture and painting in Basel, Brussels…
BLONAY, Godefroy Jean Henry Louis de, baron. Niederschoenthal, Füllingsdorf (Basel-Land) 25.7.1869 — Biskra, Algeria 14.2.1937. Swiss Indologist. Born in his father’s (baron Gustave Louis de Blonay) castle, Château de Grandson, in an old Vaudian family, whose ancestor had founded the castle of Blonay in Vaud in c. 1175, his mother…
BLOCH, Alfred. Basel 18.4.1915 — Basel 11.7.1983. Swiss Indologist, IE and Semitic Scholar. Professor in Basel. Born in Jewish family, son of engineer Max Bloch and Suzanne Weil. Studies of comparative linguistics, Greek, and Semitics at Basel in 1933-39. Ph.D. 1939 Basel. From 1942 PD at Basel, then 1949 Lehrbeauftr.…
BLATTER, Edelbert (or Ethelbert). Romanshorn, Appenzell 15.12.1877 — Pune 26.5.1934. S.J. Swiss Catholic Missionary Scholar in India. Son of the elder Edelbert Blatter, a physician. School in Schwyz. Joined S.J. 1896, studied in the Netherlands. Ph.D. In India 1903, in 1904-09 and 1915-24 Professor of Botany at St. Xavier’s College,…
BERTHOLET(-SCHMID), Alfred Robert Felix. Basel 9.11.1868 — Münsterlingen, Thurgau 24.8.1951. Swiss Reformed Theologian and Scholar of Comparative Religion in Germany. Professor in Göttingen and Berlin. Son of David Bertholet, a school director, and Sabine Wagner. Studies of Theology at Basel, also briefly at Strasbourg and Berlin (under B. Duhm). From…
BERNOULLI, Johann. Basel 4.11.1744 — Berlin-Köpenick 13.7.1807. Swiss Scientist interested in India. Born in the family of famous mathematicians, himself a noted astronomer and called Johann III as the third scholar of this name in the family (his father was Johann II [1710–1790], mother Susanna König [1715–1803]). Studies of law…
BAUMGARTNER, Alexander. Sankt Gallen 27.6.1841 — Luxembourg 5.9. 1910. S.J. Swiss Jesuit Scholar and Indologist. Son of an influential politician (a federalist), Gallus Jacob Baumgartner (1797–1869) and Anna Elisabeth Reithard. Educated at the Gymnasiums of Chur, Einsiedeln and Feldkirch. Joined S.J. 1860 in Feldkirch. After studies language teacher in Münster…
BALLY, Charles-Louis. Geneva 4.2.1865 — Geneva 10.4.1947. Swiss Linguist and Greek scholar. Son of a teacher, Jean Bally (d. 1870), and Henriette Ruffini, lost early his father. From 1883 studied mainly Greek philology at Geneva, in the 1890s became de Saussure’s student, now also learned Sanskrit. Further studies at Berlin…
ATTENHOFER, Adolf. Zürich 14.5.1879 — Chur 24.12.1950. Swiss Poet and Educator interested in German and Indian Philology. Roman Catholic. Son of a baker, Johann Chrysostomus Adolf A., and Anne Cleophea Ackert. After Gymnasium in Zürich attended Lehrerseminar in Küsnacht. Then studies at universities of Zürich, Geneva, Paris, Berlin, and Munich…
ABEGG, Emil. Küsnacht near Zürich 11.1.1885 — Zürich 12.2.1962. Swiss Indologist. Professor in Zürich. Son of merchant Emil Abegg (d. 1894) and Fanny Guggenbühl, school and teacher’s college in Küsnacht. Learned Sanskrit first by himself, then from 1904 studied Germanistics, psychology, Arabic, Persian and Sanskrit (under Kaegi) at Zürich University.…