VASIL’EV, Vasilij Pavlovič (Wassilieff). Nižni-Novgorod 20.2.(4.3.)1818 — St.Petersburg 27.4.1900. Russian Sinologist and Buddhist Scholar. Professor in St.Petersburg. Son of a minor civil servant. After school in Nižnij-Novgorod he studied from 1834 Tatar and Mongolian at Kazan University (under Èrdman, Kowalewski, et al.), Kand. 1837. Now studied Chinese under Archimandrite Daniil. Learned…
MÜLLER, Herbert (Mi Sung-lin). Gumbinnen, Ostpreussen (now Russian Gusev) 29.8.1885 — Bonn 9.8.1966. German Sinologist, Lawyer, Journalist and Art Dealer. Son of Eduard Müller, owner of a brewery, and AnnaKiupel. Matriculated 1904 from Gumbinnen. Law studies at Berlin, Kiel and Bonn, also linguistics and ethnology. Dr.jur. 1909 Bonn, with Indian…
MOHL, Jules (Julius von Mohl). Stuttgart 25.10.1800 — Paris 4/5.1.1876. French (German-born) Oriental Scholar in Paris. French citizen 1838. Professor of Persian at Collège de France. Son of a high civil servant in Württemberg, Benjamin Ferdinand von Mohl and Louisa Friederica Autenrieth, his brothers were Robert (1799–1875, scholar of law…
MARSHMAN, Joshua. Westburg Leigh, Wiltshire 20.4.1768 — Serampur 5.12.1837. British Missionary and Pioneer of Indology in India. Son of John Marshman, a weaver, and Mary Couzener, educated at the village school of Westbury Leigh. Apprenticed to a bookseller he read extensively. In 1794-99 Master of a Baptist school in Bristol,…
LA VALLÉE POUSSIN, Louis Étienne Marie de. Liège 1.1.1869 — Brussels 18.2.1938. Belgian Indologist, a specialist of Buddhism and History. Professor in Ghent. Son of a French father, Gustave de La V.P. (1829–1910), and Belgian mother, Marie Pauline de Monge (1845–1876), both of families with great scholarly interests. Educated in…
LAUFER, Berthold. Köln 11.10.1874 — Chicago 13.9.1934. German Sinologist and Anthropologist in the U.S.A. Son of Max L. (of Jewish background) and Eugenie Schlesinger, his younger brother was —> Heinrich L. After gymnasium in Cologne studied at Berlin, first law, but soon ethnology and Oriental languages, then at Leipzig under…
KRESSLER, August Eduard Oscar. Konstanz 16.4.1876 — Hongkong 1970. German Japanologist, began as Indologist. Son of a postal officer, educated in Aachen, Colmar (Alsace) and Wernigerode. From 1896 studies of Oriental philology at Leipzig (Windisch, et al.), Geneva and Strassburg (Leumann). Ph.D. 1904 Strassburg. Worked as teacher, but in 1908…
KLAPROTH, Heinrich Julius von. Berlin 11.10.1783 — Paris 28.8.1835. German Oriental Scholar in Russia and France. Son of the mineralogist and chemist (discoverer of uranium) Martin-Heinrich Klaproth (1743–1817) and Christine Sophie Lehmann (1748–1803). Gymnasium in Berlin. As a fifteen years old schoolboy he started the study of Chinese from Bayer’s…
KIRCHER, Athanasius. Geisa near Fulda 2.5.1602 (or 1601) — Rome 27.11.1680. Father. S.J. German Polyhistor and Oriental Scholar, a Pioneer of Coptology, a Precursor of Egyptology, a Sinologist, etc. Son of Johann Kircher, Doctor of Divinity and teacher of Benedictines, and Anna Gansek. Novice of S.J. 1618 in Paderborn, took…
KINGSMILL, Thomas William. Dublin 8.1.1837 — Shanghai 26.7.1910. British civil engineer (architect) and geologist, from end 1862 until his death in Shanghai. Son of Henry Kingsmill (1798?–1868) and Sarah Stone. “Was chiefly engaged in exploration and surveying work in China, especially geological work.” Active member of the North China Branch…