Art · Mores

In time, Gerard ter Borch's 1654 painting Gallant Conversation came to be called Paternal Admonition less and less often

In time, the 1654 painting Gallant Conversation by Gerard ter Borch, that master of the chronicle of ordinary burghers' lives, came to be called Paternal Admonition less and less often. Perhaps because of the coin in the man's hand. At first the subject was read as a

NB! · Art · Monarchies · Observations · Humour

Good Lord, just look at these conceited monarchs!

Good Lord, just look at these conceited monarchs! Porcelain figurines of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette by Neapolitan craftsmen of the 1800s. True, the porcelain personages have ended up with rather Habsburg jaws; in two-dimensional images they generally look far better

NB! · Coming Up · Art · Museums · New York

The Museum of Modern Art in New York is showing what is probably the largest private collection of graphic art from the 1920s and 30s, including classics of the Soviet poster, outstanding women artists of the early century, the graphic art of post-revolut

Coming Up · Art · Museums · Observations · Education

The Moscow Art Theatre Museum, together with the School of Historical Sciences and the School of Design of the Higher School of Economics, has prepared a multimedia online exhibition about Stanislavsky's legendary 1909 production of Turgenev's "A Month in

The exhibition is a journey through interactive locations recreated from the original sketches of Mstislav Dobuzhinsky, who was the designer of the 1909 production. And one can not only wander about the display but also interact with the principal characters of the play, and if not father children with them,

Architecture · Art · Moscow

The Fire of Moscow in 1812, by the Russian artist of Polish origin Viktor Mazurovsky

The Fire of Moscow in 1812, by the Russian artist of Polish origin Viktor Mazurovsky. Note the walls of the Kremlin, which are clearly red here. If so, this is an error on the part of the painter, for in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries the Kremlin walls and towers

Aristocracy · Art · Observations · Mores · Education · Ethnography

Shorts in English dress since the 16th century and the habit of wearing them in winter

A snowy day, Ronald Lampitt. One can go endlessly goose-pimpled watching Englishmen, certain continental Europeans and Americans stroll about in shorts in winter. Some will write it off as plain folly, others will recall ancient traditions, still others will put the wardrobe at odds with the weather down to

Pixel-art image of a man in a bowler hat on the corner of a pink building wall beside a wrought-iron street lamp.

NB! · Art · Cinema · Paris

Pixel portrait of Charlot as played by Charlie Chaplin on rue Charlot in Paris

Street art on Rue Charlot in the Jewish quarter of Paris. A greeting from the tramp Charlot, as played by Charlie Chaplin

A moustached man in a white vest and white tights with pink trunks stands half-turned, one hand on his hip, against a dark background.

Art · Observations · Humour

Arthur Kampf’s painting “Artist”, created in 1907

In the old days men were men, not like now. The Artist, Arthur Kampf, 1907.

Faith · Art · Observations · Rome

Ceramic nativity scene by Castelli artisans in Saint Peter's Square in 2020

In St Peter's Square the Christmas tree has been lit and the crib unveiled, which, all in all, has become one more unexpected gesture from Pope Francis. Never before has the Nativity scene been presented in such implausible figures. If I am honest, only the ram in this

Coming Up · Art · Museums

Anyone who misses travel and museums, or simply wants to look at Rembrandt, Vermeer and Holbein in extremely high resolution, finer than even one's own eyes can manage, should by all means join a tour of the collection…

Anyone who misses travel and museums, or simply wants to look at Rembrandt, Vermeer and Holbein in extremely high resolution, finer than even one's own eyes can manage, should by all means join a tour of the collection of the Dutch Mauritshuis, which has prepared the world'

Ancient Roman mosaic of men leading a bull and ostriches up gangways onto a sailing ship, with fish in the water and buildings behind.

NB! · Archaeology · Art · Observations · Heritage

Fourth-century mosaic of exotic animals being shipped, Villa del Casale, Sicily

A magnificent mosaic of scenes showing the transport of exotic animals, 4th century AD, Villa del Casale, Sicily. I am particularly struck by the exhaustive information it gives on the clothing of the period, in both colours and details.

NB! · Art · Mores · People

The judge, politician and antiquary Sir James Whitelocke (1570-1632) in the sumptuous judicial dress still worn in England today, though now with a wig and a collar of a different form: vertical strips of cloth in the swallowtail style