Art · Cinema · Observations · Heritage
On Gustav Klimt's birthday, a reminder of the 2015 film "Woman in Gold" with Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds. The plot is based on the story of Maria Altmann, heiress of the Austrian sugar magnate Ferdinand Bloch-Bauer, who sued Austria for the return of works
Coming Up · Moscow · Observations · Education
Friends, next Tuesday, 19 July, I am speaking in Moscow. I shall be giving a lecture at the “Pryamaya Rech” lecture hall, on the difference between history and memory, how the two complement each other, and who really shapes our notions of the past. Do come, there are still tickets
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Architecture · Faith · Heritage
On 14 July 1902 the 98-metre Campanile of St Mark's Basilica in Venice, built in 1514, collapsed. The bell tower fell for no apparent reason: the load-bearing structures of the building are believed to have been worn and damaged by several earthquakes and lightning strikes. In
Faith · Monarchies · Society · People
Today we remember the martyrdom of a linen dealer who headed a counter-revolutionary revolt, took the town of Cholet five days later, and was soon elected commander-in-chief of the Catholic and Royal forces.
NB! · Architecture · Madrid
NB! · Aristocracy · Faith · The East · Monarchies · People
Aristocracy · Archive · Faith · Monarchies
A family tree showing that Queen Elizabeth II traces her descent from the progenitor of the 12 tribes of Israel, the third Old Testament patriarch Jacob, called Israel. Moreover, she is a descendant of Jacob-Israel and of his son Judah not only on her father's side but
Architecture · Moscow · Observations · New York
"What a dreadful building!" I have heard it said more than once of the 2003 business centre on Oruzheyny Lane in Moscow's Tverskoy District (photos 1 and 2). As it happens, I rather like this building by the architect Posokhin. Its style is usually called neo-
NB! · Cinema · People
NB! · Faith · Society
Books · Observations
Philip K. Dick