Jean-Jacques Boissard
Encyclopedia
Jean-Jacques Boissard was a French
antiquary and Latin
poet
.
He was born at Besançon
and educated at Leuven
; but disgusted by the severity of his master, he secretly left the seminary there, and travelled through Germany
to Italy
, where he remained several years and was often reduced to poverty. His time in Italy gave him a taste for antiquities, and he soon formed a collection of curious artefacts from Rome
and its vicinity. He then visited the islands of Greece
, but a severe illness obliged him to return to Rome. Here he resumed his favourite pastimes, and having completed his collection, returned to France; but not being permitted to profess publicly the Protestant religion, which he had embraced some time before, he withdrew to Metz
, where he remained till his death.
His most important works are:
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
antiquary and Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
poet
Poet
A poet is a person who writes poetry. A poet's work can be literal, meaning that his work is derived from a specific event, or metaphorical, meaning that his work can take on many meanings and forms. Poets have existed since antiquity, in nearly all languages, and have produced works that vary...
.
He was born at Besançon
Besançon
Besançon , is the capital and principal city of the Franche-Comté region in eastern France. It had a population of about 237,000 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 2008...
and educated at Leuven
Leuven
Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
; but disgusted by the severity of his master, he secretly left the seminary there, and travelled through Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
to Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, where he remained several years and was often reduced to poverty. His time in Italy gave him a taste for antiquities, and he soon formed a collection of curious artefacts from Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
and its vicinity. He then visited the islands of Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, but a severe illness obliged him to return to Rome. Here he resumed his favourite pastimes, and having completed his collection, returned to France; but not being permitted to profess publicly the Protestant religion, which he had embraced some time before, he withdrew to Metz
Metz
Metz is a city in the northeast of France located at the confluence of the Moselle and the Seille rivers.Metz is the capital of the Lorraine region and prefecture of the Moselle department. Located near the tripoint along the junction of France, Germany, and Luxembourg, Metz forms a central place...
, where he remained till his death.
His most important works are:
- Poemata (1574)
- Emblemata (1584)
- Icones Virorum Illustrium (1597)
- Vitae et Icones Sultanorum Turcicorum, etc. (1597)
- Theatrum Vitae Humanae (1596)
- Romanae Urbis Topogrephia (1597–1602), now very rare
- De Divinatione et Magicis Praestigiis (1605)
- Habitus Variarum Orbis Gentium (1581), ornamented with seventy illuminated figures.