Fontane ► fool I 689
among the Italian artists was Benve¬ nuto Cellini. Many engravings were made of the work being done, and much of the most decorative paint¬ ing and sculpture can still be seen there. The Italian masters success¬ fully adapted their own styles to the French taste and were assisted by French and Flemish artists; together they produced a distinctive style of Mannerism. The innovation of stucco ornament in combination with mural painting had great influence on French art of the time.
Fontane Xfon-'ta-nsV Theodor (b. Dec. 30, 1819, Neuruppin,
Brandenburg—d. Sept. 20, 1898,
Berlin) German writer. He began his career as a journalist and wrote books based on his travels before turning to the novel late in life. Before the Storm (1878) is considered a masterpiece of historical fiction. Effi Briest (1895), known for its superb characteriza¬ tions and skillful portrayal of his native Brandenburg, is one of his several sympathetic treatments of women in circumscribed domestic lives. He is considered the first master of mod¬ ern German realism.
Diana the Huntress, oil on canvas by an anonymous artist of the school of Fontainebleau, c. 1550; in the Louvre, Paris.
GIRAUDON/ART RESOURCE, NEW YORK
fontanel or fontanelle Vfan-to-.nelX One of six soft spots at the junc¬ tions (sutures) of the cranial bones in an infant’s skull, covered with tough,
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Bodoni roman
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Bodoni regular italic
ABGPabgp
Bodoni bold
A B G P a b g p
Bodoni bold italic
A B G P
Bodoni small caps
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Bodoni poster
leading
Typefaces are designed to include space above and below so that the descenders of one bne do not touch the ascenders of the next.
Helvetica, sans serif typeface
The term font commonly refers to a type family such as Bodoni or Helvetica, which includes the entire alphabet in various weights (regular, bold, extra bold, etc.) and styles (roman, italics, or display type such as Bodoni poster). Type can be set in capitals ("caps"), lowercase, or small caps. The x-height of a font (the height of a lowercase letter that has no ascender or descender) will vary from typeface to type¬ face. The space between lines of type is referred to as "leading"—a term that dates back to a time when spacing was added with strips of lead. The specification of the example above is indicated as 10/11, or 10-point type with 11 points from base¬ line to baseline.
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fibrous membrane. They allow molding of the head during birth. Some close by three months, others after a year, and still others by two years.
Fontanne, Lynn See Alfred Lunt and Lynn Fontanne
Fonteyn \fan-'tan\, Dame Margot orig. Margaret Hookham
(b. May 18, 1919, Reigate, Surrey, Eng.—d. Feb. 21, 1991, Panama City, Pan.) British ballerina. She debuted with the Vic-Wells Ballet (later Royal Ballet) in 1934 and soon became its leading dancer, creating many roles in works by Frederick Ashton, including Horoscope, Symphonic Varia¬ tions, and Ondine. In the 1960s she won worldwide acclaim for her appearances with Rudolf Nureyev in ballets such as Swan Lake, Raymonda, and Le Corsaire. She continued to dance as a guest artist into the mid 1970s.
Foochow See Fuzhou
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) UN agency whose purpose is to improve nutrition and eliminate hunger by coordinating the efforts of governments in agriculture, forestry, and fisheries. It also assists countries through research, training, development, and field missions, and it has helped with disaster and emergency relief. The FAO was established in 1945. Beginning in the 1960s, it concentrated on developing high-yield grain, eliminating protein deficiencies, supporting rural development, and encouraging agricultural exports. In the 1980s and ’90s, the FAO empha¬ sized strategies for sustainable agriculture and rural development that were economically feasible, environmentally sound, and technologically appropriate to the skill level of the host country. The organization, which has more than 180 members, is governed by the biennial FAO confer¬ ence, in which each member country, as well as the European Union, is represented. Its headquarters are in Rome. See also World Food Pro¬ gramme.
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Agency of the U.S. Depart¬ ment of Health and Human Services. Established in 1927, it inspects, tests, approves, and sets safety standards for foods and food additives, drugs, chemicals, cosmetics, and household and medical devices. It can prevent untested products from being sold and take legal action to halt the sale of undoubtedly harmful products or of products that involve a health or safety risk. Its authority is limited to interstate commerce; it cannot con¬ trol prices nor directly regulate advertising except of prescription drugs and medical devices.
food chain Sequence of transfer of matter and energy from organism to organism in the form of food. These interconnected feeding relation¬ ships intertwine locally into a food web because most organisms consume or are consumed by more than one other type of organism. Plants and other photosynthetic organisms (such as phytoplankton), which convert solar energy to food, are the primary food source. In a predator chain, a plant-eating animal is eaten by a larger animal. In a parasite chain (see parasitism), a smaller organism consumes part of a larger host and may itself be parasitized by even smaller organisms. In a saprophytic chain, microorganisms live on dead organic matter. Because energy, in the form of heat, is lost at each step, or trophic level, chains do not normally encompass more than four or five trophic levels.
food poisoning Acute gastrointestinal illness from eating foods con¬ taining toxins. These toxins may be poisons that occur naturally in plants and animals, chemical contaminants, or toxic products of microorganisms. Most cases are due to bacteria (including salmonella and staphylococcus) and their toxins (including botulism). Some strains of E. cou can cause severe illness. Chemical poisons include heavy metals (see mercury poi¬ soning), either from food or leached out from cookware by acidic foods. Food additives may have a long-term cumulative toxic effect. See also fish poisoning; mushroom poisoning.
food preservation Any method by which food is protected against spoilage by oxidation, bacteria, molds, and microorganisms. Traditional methods include dehydration, smoking, salting, controlled fermentation (including pickling), and candying; certain spices have also long been used as antiseptics and preservatives. Among the modern processes for food preservation are refrigeration (including freezing), canning, pasteur¬ ization, irradiation, and the addition of chemical preservatives.
fool or jester Comic entertainer whose madness or imbecility, real or pretended, made him a source of amusement and gave him license to abuse and poke fun at even his most exalted patrons. Professional fools flourished in diverse societies from ancient Egyptian times until the 18th
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690 I fool's gold ► football
century. Often deformed, dwarfed, or crippled, fools were kept for luck as well as amusement, in the belief that deformity can avert the evil eye and that abusive raillery can transfer ill luck from the abused to the abuser. In some societies, they were regarded as inspired with poetic and pro¬ phetic powers. The greatest literary characterization of the fool is found in William Shakespeare’s King Lear.
fool's gold See pyrite
foot In measurement, any of numerous lineal measures (commonly 9.8- 13.4 in. [25-34 cm]) based on the length of the human foot. It is used exclusively in English-speaking countries. In most countries and in all scientific applications, the foot (with its multiples and subdivisions) has been superseded by the metre. In the U.S. the definition of the foot as exactly 30.48 cm took effect in 1959. See also inch; International System of Units; yard.