NB! · Art
The photograph “Black Archangel” by Vlad Nekrasov, taken in Novosibirsk in 2022
The Black Archangel. Vlad Nekrasov. Novosibirsk, 2022
Alexandr Radayev
Archive · Monarchies
In the instruction issued by His Imperial Majesty to Alexander Rumyantsev by the College of Foreign Affairs before his departure for the Swedish embassy, there is an important clause on the conclusion of an armistice, that is, peace with Sweden
In the seventh clause Peter orders Rumyantsev to tell Frederick plainly of the reports known to him that the Swedish side wants a peace agreement, and to ask whether this is truly so, informing him that Peter has no need of a peace agreement, but that if Sweden wants one,
Archive · Monarchies · Humour
Rumyantsev's letter to Peter I on the Swedish fleet alarmed by an embassy galley in 1720
The Swedes were so frightened of the Russian fleet that even a single Russian post galley threw their coastal forces into confusion. Adjutant General Alexander Ivanovich Rumyantsev describes in a private letter to Peter I an amusing incident that befell him in Sweden in August 1720, when Peter sent him
Geography · Monarchies · Society
Victory of the Russian galley fleet under Golitsyn at Grengam in 1720
By 1720 Sweden, once the formidable Lion of the North, realises the futility of its ambitions to dominate the north of Europe; its former grandeur has been squandered in a string of defeats at the hands of Russia. England, which had stood on Sweden's side from the very
Archive · Art · Moscow · Museums
Zotov Centre opens exhibition on the October and ROPF photography groups
Moscow collections hold a great many works by Constructivist photographers, but the systematic study and display of this legacy began only comparatively recently. Well, better late than never. An exhibition devoted to the work of members of two photographic associations, October and ROPF, has opened at the Zotov Centre. Both
Architecture · Art · Moscow · Observations
How high relief differs from bas-relief, as shown by a Moscow metro composition
I do not understand why everyone is writing about the return of the bas-relief with Stalin at Taganskaya station, when it is a HIGH RELIEF, not a bas-relief: two fundamentally different kinds of sculptural image. Let me explain the difference. A high relief (haut-relief, or alto-rilievo)
NB!
One Too Many
NB! · Architecture · Faith · Art
"The Last Judgement": a fresco by Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov, painted in 1885–1896 for St Vladimir's Cathedral in Kyiv
"The Last Judgement" is a fresco by Viktor Mikhailovich Vasnetsov, painted in 1885–1896 for St Vladimir's Cathedral in Kyiv. The artist later painted a picture on the same subject for the Church of St George in Gus-Khrustalny
Faith · Observations · Society · Rome
The cardinals' oath of secrecy and the reliability of reports on the conclave of Leo XIV
In these days many pieces have appeared investigating how exactly the conclave went. Original hypotheses are advanced as to how, in what conjunction of circumstances and under which stars Pope Leo XIV came to be elected. For the most part it resembles the intriguing plot of a popular film. Let
NB! · Faith · Observations · Education · Pop Culture · Rome
Pope Leo XIV opens a social media account in Latin
Pope Leo XIV has started a Twitter account in Latin, and it is magnificent! A splendid step towards popularising the Latin language
NB! · Art · Museums · Mores
Victorian bird's foot brooch with citrines at the Walters Art Museum
A brooch of bird's claw with silver-mounted citrines: a tribute to the Victorian fashion for Scotland's cultural heritage and for historicism. 1860-70s. The Walters Art Museum, Baltimore
Art · Mores · Society · People
Eric Pickersgill photographs people posing with phones removed from their hands
A Striking Statement by the Photographer Eric Pickersgill: the Series Removed. People have fused with their devices swiftly and irreversibly. At first, personal gadgets were very convenient helpers: they solved everyday tasks, made it easier to keep in touch with loved ones, to store and pass on information, to take