Observations · Society · Humour

The Brezhnev constitution contained a good deal of absurdity of its own: the USSR was described as a state of the dictatorship of the proletariat that had fulfilled its tasks and become a state of the whole people, "developed socialism" was defined as a s

The Brezhnev constitution contained a good deal of absurdity of its own: the USSR was described as a state of the dictatorship of the proletariat that had fulfilled its tasks and become a state of the whole people, "developed socialism" was defined as a stage on the road

Archive · Society

15 years to prepare the 1977 Constitution and 98 days to the vote on the 2020 amendments

The Brezhnev Constitution of 1977 took 15 years to prepare. The decision to draw up a new constitution was taken in the spring of 1962, and the constitutional commission originally numbered 97 members. A draft was ready by the autumn of 1964, but it was not adopted and was sent

NB! · Archaeology · Art · Monarchies · Museums · Rome · Humour

Overdosing on fillers: when the Emperor Trajan cannot be told from the Emperor Vespasian

Overdosing on fillers: when the Emperor Trajan cannot be told from the Emperor Vespasian. The large marble so-called Bosham Head of AD 121 was found in West Sussex in 1800 and is on display at the Chichester District Museum.

A dark-haired man in a black uniform with red piping and a blond man in a tailcoat and white tie look at each other; a man in a brown uniform stands behind.

NB!

Two men face to face: an officer in black uniform and a man in a tailcoat

Cinema · Books · Education

Paul Verhoeven’s 1977 film “Soldier of Orange” about Leiden students in the Second World War

A film about young people whose lives are unceremoniously invaded by world history. Paul Verhoeven's "Soldier of Orange" (also known in Russian as "The Queen's Soldier"), 1977, is a classic of war cinema. Its heroes are four friends, all students at Leiden

Books · Observations · Society · Humour

Playwright Noël Coward and propaganda for US entry into the Second World War

A doomed quotation of the day, and very much in season. Though, given that at this very minute the dollar stands at 75.63/72.63, one is tempted to cite Gandalf the Grey’s “Fly, you fools”. As it is, it is curious that the celebrated British playwright Noël

Science · Mores · Society · People

Nobel laureate Rita Levi-Montalcini, who pursued science despite her father's views

The famous laughing old lady with a glass: winner of the 1986 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, Rita Levi-Montalcini, known not only for her scientific achievements but also for her active political stance, her public engagement and her charisma. Rita's father was against higher education for

Art · Museums · Heritage · Paris

The Sounds of the Tocsin Have a Curious Fate: in 1892 They Were Shown in the French Pavilion at the World's Fair

The Sounds of the Tocsin have a curious fate: in 1892 they were shown in the French pavilion at the World's Fair. After being purchased, the painting ended up in the Museum of Picardy, founded by Napoleon, though whether the artist himself gave the canvas to the museum

Archive · Art · Museums · Observations

How works of colossal size are exhibited is more interesting still

How works of colossal size are exhibited is more interesting still. Look at the system of blocks and ropes that several workmen used to hang a large-scale painting in the Museum of Picardy a little over 100 years ago. As far as I know, the photograph shows work on

Art · Moscow · Observations

Huge canvases were carried through Moscow lanes rolled on wooden and plywood rollers

Not long ago, at a lecture by a very educated woman, the question was put of how enormous canvases were carried through the narrow lanes of Moscow to be hung in the mansion of a famous collector. How astonished I was that this lady-in-waiting of the writing profession

The East · Monarchies · Moscow · Observations · Society · Humour

Maxim Suchkov, the Russian editor of the American Al-Monitor, has drawn attention to the setting of Putin's talks with Erdoğan on 5 March: behind Recep stands a bronze Catherine II, who routed the Turkish army, destroyed the Turkish fleet at Ochakov and I

Maxim Suchkov, the Russian editor of the American Al-Monitor, has drawn attention to the setting of Putin's talks with Erdoğan on 5 March: behind Recep stands a bronze Catherine II, who routed the Turkish army, destroyed the Turkish fleet at Ochakov and Izmail in 1768-1774 and

Architecture · Monarchies · Mores · People

Diane de Poitiers and her daily bathing in the river at Château de Chenonceau

Perhaps the secret of the beauty of Diane de Poitiers, who managed to seduce and win the heart of Henry II, nineteen years her junior, lay in the fact that she washed every day. Moreover, she washed in the river: in one of the arches of the Château de Chenonceau

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