‖ ottocento, n. (and a.)
(ˌɒttoˈtʃɛnto)
Also Ottocento.
[It., lit. ‘eight hundred’, here short for mil otto cento one thousand eight hundred, f. mil thousand + otto eight + cento hundred; cf. cinquecento n., etc.]
The nineteenth century, as a period of Italian art, architecture, etc. Also attrib. or as adj.
| 1928 Art & Archaeol. XXVI. 187/2 The collection..afforded a retrospective survey of portraiture, landscape and figure painting as exemplified by the pioneers of the Ottocento, from Appiani, who died in 1817, down to..the veteran Previati. Ibid. 188/2 The Ottocento collection. 1930 Formes (Eng. ed.) Jan. 27/1 The ‘avant-garde’ art group in Italy which took the name Novecento and published it to show that they are at least up to date suddenly discovered the Italian XIXth. century, our Ottocento. 1973 Times Lit. Suppl. 14 Sept. 1046/3 Sent music-lovers back to the world of the ottocento. 1978 W. M. Spackman Armful of Warm Girl 4 His grandfather's marble folly reared its Palladian ruins, studded with busts of ottocento celebrities. 1988 Financial Times 23 Aug. 21/1 There is no other living conductor I would rather hear in early Ottocento Italian opera. |