, grandson of the preceding, was born in 1694. He was first educated at Konigsburgh, where, besides
, grandson of the preceding, was born in 1694. He was first educated at Konigsburgh, where, besides philosophy and theology, he
devoted much of his time to the study of the Oriental
languages, under some rabbis, and under Dr. Abraham
Wolff, professor of theology. In 1713 he began the
study of the Chinese language, but his severe and uninterrupted application having injured his health, he was
recommended to try change of air. With this view he
went to Dantzic, to John Sartorius, professor of rhetoric,
who was his maternal great-uncle, and as soon as he was
able to return to Konigsburgh, he went through his disputation, and obtained a pension. Soon after, he went to
Berlin, where M. Grabe, a privy-counsellor, assisted him
with the means of prosecuting his studies, and there he
formed an intimacy with de la Croze, Jablonski, des Vignoles, Chauvin, and many other learned men of the time.
At Halle, professor Frank introduced him to Solomon Assadi, whose lessons removed many of the difficulties he had
encountered in learning the Arabic; and M. Michaelis and
Heineccius furnished him with much useful information
respecting the Ethiopian and Greek churches. From Halle
he went to Leipsic, where, in Feb. 1717, he was admitted
to the degree of M. A. Here M. Sieber permitted him the
free use of his fine library, and M. Goetze gave him access
to the manuscripts of the public library, of which he made
a catalogue. At the request of M. Mencke he drew up
several curious articles for the Leipsic “Acta eruditorum,
”
particularly one on the triumphal arch of Trajan, another
on the Malabaric new Testament, a third on the Coptic
new Testament, &c. with all which Mencke was so well satisfied, as to make him very advantageous offers if he would
consent to reside at Leipsic. The magistrates of Konigsburgh wrote to him at the same time, that if he wished to
continue his travels, his expences should be defrayed; but
the bad state of his health obliged him to return home.
Recovering a little, he went to Wirtemberg and Berlin,
where M. de la Croze gave him some lessons in the Coptic;
and at Stettin he had the happiness to be admitted to inspect the Chinese collections made by Andrew Muller,
which are preserved there. About the end of autumn
1717, having returned to Konigsburgh, the magistrates
appointed him librarian, and in 1720 and 1721 he was
chosen co-rector and pro-rector of the principal college.
About the beginning of 1726, he was invited to Petersburgh to be professor of Greek and Roman antiquities.
The same year he delivered some orations in the presence
of the empress Catherine, who laid the foundation of the
new academy, in honour of the coronation of Peter II. In
1730 the royal academy of Berlin enrolled him among its
members. He was about to have retired to Konigsburgh,
with his family, when he was attacked by a disorder which
proved fatal, Feb. 21, 1738. Besides a number of philological and antiquary dissertations in the literary journals, he
published, 1. “Museum Sinicum, in quo Sinicae Linguae et
Literaturae ratio explicatur; item grammatica, lexicon, et
diatribae Sinicce reperiuntur,
” Petrop. Historia regni Graecorum
Bactriani,
” ibid. Historia Osrhoena et
Edessena ex nummis illustrata, in qua Edessae urbis, Osrhoeni regni, Abgarorum regum, &c. fata explicantur,
” ib.
, a very eminent sculptor, was born in 1694, at Antwerp. His father was a landscape-painter,
, a very eminent sculptor, was born in 1694, at Antwerp. His father was a landscape-painter, and had been in England, but quitted it with Largilliere, and went to Paris, where he married, and returning to Brussels and Antwerp, died in the latter in 1726, at the age of eighty. Michael, his son, arrived here in 1720, and after modelling some small figures in clay, to show his skill, succeeded so well in a bust of the earl of Nottingham, that he began to be employed on large works, particularly monuments, in which his art and industry gave general satisfaction. His models were thoroughly studied, and ably executed; and as a sculptor capable of furnishing statues was now found, our taste in monuments improved, which till Rysbrach’s time had depended more on masonry and marbles than statuary, on which he taught the age to depend for its best ornaments; and although he is too fond of pyramids for back-grounds, his figures are well disposed, simple and great.