Gilded relief in an oval frame of reeds showing two nude men swimming and a child running along the shore.

NB! · Art · Monarchies · Observations · Paris · Humour

Swimming lesson scene on a relief panel from Louis XV's bathroom

A most inspiring relief on a panel from the bathroom of Louis XV. The mood is Versailles. What these nude athletes are up to, I think you have guessed for yourselves: they are staging a highly original scene of a swimming lesson. The child, as is only proper, strives to

Architecture · Faith · Art · Observations · People · Rome

Pierre Le Gros’s Statue of Stanislaus Kostka in the Church of Saint Andrew on the Quirinal, Rome

This sculpture, the equal of Bernini's finest works and a flawless example of Roman Baroque, was made in 1703 by the Frenchman Pierre Le Gros: a sculpted portrait of Saint Stanislaus Kostka, the blessed patron of Poland and of lay servants of the Church. It is not the

Aristocracy · Art · London · Museums · Observations

Kokoshnik, not Mucha style, in Shannon's 1918 portrait of the Duchess of Rutland

Had a small dispute with ArtUK and National Trust Collections over Sir James Jebusa Shannon's 1918 portrait of Violet Lindsay, Duchess of Rutland (1856-1937). The cause of my displeasure is the description of the work, which states that in this exotic portrait Lady Violet, her hands dramatically

NB! · Art · Moscow · Observations · Humour

In the helmet of a figure in Gerard David's 1498 diptych "The Flaying of the Corrupt Judge", after a story from Herodotus' "Histories", yet another Stalinist high-rise appears to be reflected

Architecture · Art · Moscow · Observations · Heritage

The entrance to the Central Economics and Mathematics Institute building on Nakhimovsky Prospekt in Moscow has been fenced off; it is not in use at present

The entrance to the Central Economics and Mathematics Institute building on Nakhimovsky Prospekt in Moscow has been fenced off; it is not in use at present. I took the trouble to walk over specially, to capture a living legend while it is still one. Last year there was talk of

NB! · The East · Art · Monarchies

This painting, presented to George IV, shows Fath Ali Shah hunting in the company of 22 of his sons

Art · Observations · Heritage · Society

The Madonna of Luca della Robbia, to be offered at Sotheby's in early 2021: how she looks now and how she looked before restoration

The pre-sale estimate for the maiolica is impressive, with figures of up to a million dollars being mentioned. That is a good deal for polychrome glazed terracotta of the Quattrocento, but it should be remembered that the work belongs to the master who all but created the style, and

NB! · Faith · Art · Museums · New York

Madonna and Child, Andrea della Robbia, 1470–1475

Madonna and Child, Andrea della Robbia, 1470–1475. Metropolitan Museum of Art. Della Robbia made a good many different sculptures of the Virgin, but this one draws the eye because above Mary and Jesus the Lord Himself keeps a solicitous watch, surrounded by angels

Art · Moscow · Observations · Society Pages

Ceramics, plates by the singer Lisokot and Baronina tiles at the Sample fair at Strelka

Dropped into the cosy Sample fair at Strelka and once again confirmed my observation that very many people have taken up ceramics. Not far from LotyLoty I found almost the same plates, only by the singer Lisokot. I wanted the silk masks at 2,500, but they had already been

Architecture · Art · Moscow · Museums · Observations

Memorial workshop of Pyotr Konchalovsky in the Pigit House on Bolshaya Sadovaya

I was recalling today how, on the first day the memorial museum-studio of Pyotr Konchalovsky opened, we went there on a tour with Club 418. A couple of days later, it seems, the decree closing the museums was issued. So we were lucky to get in in time. This

NB! · Art · Pop Culture

An Excellent Alternative to New Year Cards: The Work of the Photographic Artists Pierre Commoy and Gilles Blanchard

NB! · The East · Art · Cinema · People · Pop Culture