Art

The Myth of Niobe in Abraham Bloemaert's Painting of 1591 in Copenhagen

Apollo and Diana Punishing Niobe by Slaying Her Children. Abraham Bloemaert, 1591. National Gallery of Denmark, Copenhagen. The myth of Niobe and her children is one of the most familiar tragic subjects of classical art. Niobe grew proud of her beautiful and numerous children, twelve or twenty in number, and

Architecture · Faith · Art · Heritage

Hurricane Beryl damaged the Rothko Chapel in Texas and three of its paintings

Hurricane Beryl, which struck Texas last month, has badly damaged the chapel decorated by Mark Rothko. The ceiling and walls of the chapel were flooded, and three of the artist's paintings were damaged. Commissioned by Dominique and John de Menil, philanthropists and art collectors from France, Rothko painted

Archive · Faith · Mores · People

Stalin's mother Ekaterina Geladze wanted to see her son become a priest

When Stalin visited his aged mother shortly before her death in October 1935, according to her doctor's recollections, they spoke briefly and Stalin tried to explain what it was that he did. "Mother, do you remember our Tsar? I am something like a tsar now," said

Faith · The East · Society

The French Interior Minister has said that, on account of the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which Catholics celebrate on 15 August, France is at its highest level of security threat since 24 March, following the terrorist attack at C

The French Interior Minister has said that, on account of the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which Catholics celebrate on 15 August, France is at its highest level of security threat since 24 March, following the terrorist attack at the Crocus City Hall near Moscow. Darmanin

Black-and-white Gary Larson comic “The Far Side”: a frightened man at a desk in an office, with buildings and windows outside.

Books · Pop Culture · Humour

Anatidaephobia, the fear of ducks, in Gary Larson’s comic “The Far Side”

In 1988 an American artist and cartoonist invented (or merely formulated and set down?) a fear known as anatidaephobia: the dread that somewhere, somehow, a duck is watching you. The idea first appeared in the comic strip "The Far Side". The name of the condition, anatidaephobia, derives from

Archive · The East · Cinema · Mores

Recalling the making of "Lawrence of Arabia", Peter O'Toole writes that the mother of one of the film crew's local guides, a woman of considerable years, questioned him about the women of the Christian tribe and their way of life, marvelling at his white

NB! · Art · People

The Picador, Picasso's First Oil Painting, Painted at the Age of 8

NB! · Faith · Books · Ethnography

The Gospel in Chuvash

Art · Monarchies · Museums · Paris

Table Made from a Malabar Teak Slice for Louis XVIII at the Grand Trianon

In 1823 Louis XVIII acquired a unique slab of wood: a cross-section of Malabar oak, or teak, almost 3 metres across. The wood of Indian teak, especially from the Malabar Coast, is highly prized for its handsome colouring. But teak usually reaches no more than a metre and a

Flowers on the bridge railing, with a Moscow Kremlin tower and palace, the Ivan the Great Bell Tower and a cloudy sky behind.

NB! · Architecture · Moscow · Observations

Flowers decorate the Bolshoy Kamenny Bridge in Moscow with the Kremlin in view

What a beauty! Well done, the city services! They have decked the Bolshoy Kamenny Bridge with flowers, and it looks magnificent, never mind Paris