ASSELYN, Hans, a celebrated Dutch painter, was born at Antwerp in 1610, and died at Amsterdam in 1660. He received instruction from Esaias Vandervelde, and distinguished himself particularly in landscape and animal painting, though his historical works and battle-pieces are also admired. He travelled much in France and Italy, and modelled his style greatly after Bamboccio (Peter Laer). He was one of the first Dutch painters who introduced a fresh and clear manner of painting landscapes in the style of Claude Lorraine, and his example was speedily followed by other artists. Asselyn’s pictures were in high estimation at Amsterdam, and several of them are in the museums of that city. Twenty-four pieces of landscapes and ruins, which he painted in Italy, have been engraved by Perelle.
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ASSEMANI, the name of a Syrian Maronite family of famous Orientalists.
(1.) Joseph Simon, a Maronite of Mount Lebanon, was born in 1687. When very young he was sent to the Maronite college in Rome, and was transferred thence to the Vatican Library. In 1717 he was sent to Egypt and Syria to search for valuable MSS., and returned with about 150 very choice ones. The success of this expedition induced the Pope to send him again to the East in 1735, and he returned with a still more valuable collection. On his return he was made titular archbishop of Tyre and librarian of the Vatican Library. He instantly began to carry into execution most extensive plans for editing and publishing the most valuable MS. treasures of the Vatican. His two great works are the Bibliotheca Orientalis Clem-entino- Vaticana rec. manuscr. codd. Syr., Arab., Pers., Turc., Hebr., Samarit., Armen., Aethiop., Graec., Aegypt., Iber., et Malab., jussu et munif. Clem. XL, Romae, 1719-28, nine vols, folio, and Ephraemi Syri opera omnia quae extant, Gr., Syr., et. Lat., 6 vols, folio, Rome, 1737-46. Of the Bibliotheca the first three vols, only were completed. The work was to have been in four parts—(1.) Syrian and allied MSS., orthodox, Nestorian, and Jacobite; (2.) Arabian MSS., Christian and Mahometan; (3.) Coptic, Aethiopic, Persian, and Turkish MSS.; and (4.) Syrian and Arabian MSS. not distinctively theological; only the first part was completed, but extensive preparations were made for the others. There is a German abridgement by A. F. Peiffer....
(2.) Joseph Aloysius, brother of Joseph Simon, and professor of Oriental languages at Rome. He died in 1782. Besides aiding his brother in his literary labours, he published, in 1749-60, Codex Liturgicus Ecclesioe Universes in xv. libris (this is incomplete), and Comment, de Catholicis sive Patriarchis Chaldaeorum et Nestorianorum, Rome, 1775.
(3.) Stephen Evodius, nephew of Joseph Simon and Joseph Aloysius, was the chief assistant of his uncle Joseph Simon in his work in the Vatican Library. He was titular archbishop of Apamea in Syria, and held several rich prebends in Italy. His literary labours were very extensive. His two most important works were a description of certain valuable MSS. in his Bibliothecae Mediceo-Laurentiance et Palatinae codd. manuscr. Orientalium Catalogus, Flor. 1742, foL, and his Acta SS. Martyrum Orientalium. He made several translations from the Syrian, and in conjunction with his uncle, he began the Bibliothecae Apostol. Vatic, codd. manusc. Catal., in très partes distributus. Only three vols, were published, and the fire in the Vatican Library in 1768 consumed the manuscript collections which had been prepared for the continuation of the work.
(4.) Simon, grandnephew of Joseph Simon, was born at Tripoli in 1752, and was professor of Oriental languages in Padua. He died in 1820. He is best known by his masterly detection of the literary imposture of Vella, which claimed to be a history of the Saracens in Syria.
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ASSEN, a town of the Netherlands, capital of the province of Drenthe, containing 6836 inhabitants. It lies 16 miles south of Groningen, is connected with the Zuyder-Zee by the Smilder canal, has a considerable trade in corn and peats. There are a number of highly interesting tumuli in the neighbourhood, in which various relics have been found, which are now deposited in the museum at Leyden.
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