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Art · Observations · Society Pages
Leonid Sokov’s “Levitan” at the Catalog art fair and a reflection on buying art
Photographed beside Leonid Sokov's "Levitan" at the Catalog contemporary art fair on preview day. To be honest, on leaving the house I recalled a selection of looks from a men's fashion public page and hastily assembled an outfit to suit the mood of the
The East · Monarchies · Observations · Society
In 1793 the first British diplomatic mission arrived in China, with the aim of opening new ports to British trade, establishing a permanent embassy in Peking, obtaining a small island for British use and…
Among other things, the British envoy was to persuade China to buy British goods. The Emperor Qianlong's reply was original: “We possess all things. I set no value on objects strange or ingenious, and have no use for your country's manufactures.” On the remaining points, too,
Museums · Heritage · Paris
It turns out that as early as 2018 the jewellery house of Van Cleef & Arpels conducted a security audit of the Louvre, in which it named as the most vulnerable spot precisely that balcony above the Galerie d'Apollon through which the thieves gained entry
It turns out that as early as 2018 the jewellery house of Van Cleef & Arpels conducted a security audit of the Louvre, in which it named as the most vulnerable spot precisely that balcony above the Galerie d'Apollon through which the thieves gained entry. The assessment noted
Art · Museums · Paris
Previously unknown Renoir painting of his son Jean and nanny sold in Paris for €1.8 million
A doll dressed in the colours of the Russian flag in a newly discovered Renoir painting. A previously unknown painting by Pierre-Auguste Renoir has been sold at auction in Paris for a considerable sum. The painting, "L’enfant et ses jouets - Gabrielle et le fils de l’artiste,
Archive · Books · Science
The @ symbol from a medieval monastic ligature to Ray Tomlinson's email
The Medieval Dog. Strange as it may seem, the symbol @, which Russians call a "dog", appeared long before the internet: it was invented back in the Middle Ages. To economise precious parchment and the copyists' time, monks replaced the frequently occurring Latin preposition "ad" with
NB! · Archive · Art · Books
The Wheel of Fortune in a 15th-century miniature for Giovanni Boccaccio's work on the fates of the noble
The Wheel of Fortune in a 15th-century edition of Giovanni Boccaccio's "Fates of Illustrious Men and Women" looks like a fairground carousel, with a king enthroned at the very top while courtiers go flying off the rickety side seats
Archaeology · The East · Art · Museums · Observations
One of the strongest aesthetic experiences of my life: the furnishings from the tomb of Tutankhamun
It is incredible that these objects were made in the 1300s BC and earlier. I can quite easily picture the golden couches in the form of lions and buffaloes, the busts of the celestial cow, the chests, the statues and the Nile barges sailing into the interior of my flat
NB! · Art · Mores · Paris · Humour
Parisian Ladies in Winter Toilettes: An English Caricature of French Fashion of the Early Nineteenth Century
Architecture · Monarchies · Museums · Heritage · Saint Petersburg
First full scientific restoration of Monplaisir in Peterhof under way since December 2023
The Palace of Monplaisir was built to designs by Peter the Great. Whenever the Emperor came to Peterhof, he would usually stay here, in one of his favourite palaces. The interiors were adorned with Dutch tiles, wood carving, lacquer panels, stucco and painted ceilings. The floors of the galleries and
Architecture · Moscow · Observations · Heritage · Society
Most of the Kolomenskoye Museum-Reserve now looks like this
Most of the Kolomenskoye Museum-Reserve now looks like this. A continuous fence with pinpoint access to the architectural ensemble, while the protected park itself has been effectively sealed off and dug up. I did not go to the trouble of finding out why the work is being done, or
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