Monarchies · Museums · Heritage · People

Louvre cast of Catherine de Medici's tomb brought to Blois, where she was first buried

A cast of Catherine de' Medici's tomb effigy from Saint-Denis has recently been brought to Blois from the Louvre. The queen was first buried in the Church of Saint-Sauveur within the walls of the Château de Blois, after a ceremonial effigy of her, fitted with

Archive · Books · Monarchies · Mores · People

To put it mildly, the people and the court received the news of Catherine de' Medici's death with mixed feelings

To put it mildly, the people and the court received the news of Catherine de' Medici's death with mixed feelings. Here are a few interesting remarks about the poor old lady. “There were those who said all sorts of things about her death, and even about poison.

Faith · Monarchies · Mores · People

Catherine de’ Medici, the predictions of Nostradamus and the circumstances of her death

In the Year When in France One Eye Shall Rule, Great Turmoil Shall Come upon the Court, the Grandee of Blois Shall Slay His Friend, and Misfortune and Doubt Shall Beset the King. By the end of the sixteenth century, the obsession with the predictions of Nostradamus had reached such

NB! · Observations

And what shape are you in today?

Art · Monarchies · Mores · People

The marriage of Maria Josephine of Savoy to the Count of Provence, the future Louis XVIII

Firstly, this is not the most popular portrait of Marie-Joséphine of Savoy, and the woman depicted in it is scarcely recognisable in her other portraits, where she appears as a pomaded slip of a thing in wigs and jewels. Secondly, what do we actually know of this Queen of

NB! · Observations

And a Word About the Weather

Art · Monarchies · Humour

Charles IX of Sweden wore a braid over his bald head and tried to seize Livonia

While Uncle Vasya plasters three strands of a witch's hair across his gleaming bald pate and captivates the ladies on the Metro with his manly charm, Charles IX of Sweden braids a plait over his bald skull and tries to seize Livonia. This is the style for when

Moscow · Museums · Observations · Heritage · Humour

Graffiti on the Museum of Contemporary Russian History facade and damage of 126,000 roubles

I hear on the Kultura news that vandals have defiled the façade of the Museum of Contemporary Russian History. I think: well, blimey! I watch the report, and what they show is a tiny bit of graffiti beside a mascaron of a disgruntled lion. Good heavens, what a desecration! The

Art · Mores · Humour

Egg with soldiers in Europe and in Gottfried von Wedig's still life of 1630

Jot down the recipe: the egg is left to stand briefly at room temperature, boiled in boiling water for 6 minutes and not a second longer, over a low heat at a gentle simmer, and served with salt and toast cut into thin strips. The dish is called egg and

NB! · Archaeology · Geography · Science · Nature

Incidentally, elephant dung is still found on the Alpine passes, and it is this that allows the route of Hannibal's fifteen-day advance to be pinned down more precisely

NB!

That Really Hurt

Archaeology · Museums · Observations · Heritage · Society

Debate over the sale of Caligula's ring and private ownership of artefacts

Meanwhile, I observe a debate flaring up over the sale of Caligula's ring, to the effect that such objects ought to belong to museums rather than to private persons. I simply cannot see what the quarrel is about, given that the piece at present belongs to a private

Alexandr Radayev