NB! · Art · Cinema · Monarchies · Museums · Paris · Pop Culture

On 16 October the exhibition "Marie Antoinette, Metamorphosis of an Image" opened in Paris, bringing together hundreds of images of the queen, from the classic portraits of Vigée Le Brun to excerpts from films about Marie Antoinette and the manga "The Ros

Art · Observations · Society · Pop Culture · Humour

Charming stories with an adventurous sheen reminded me of the Simpsons episode in which Lisa's guinea pig ruined their painting of a primitive little ship above the sofa, and they decided to replace it with something and, by luck, found at the Van Houtens

Charming stories with an adventurous sheen reminded me of the episode of The Simpsons in which Lisa's guinea pig ruined their painting of a primitive little ship above the sofa, and they decided to replace it with something and, by luck, found at the Van Houtens' garage

Art · Cinema · Observations · Pop Culture

Finished watching Hunter's episodes about the auction and the flea market, and a little wave of nostalgia came over me for the days when I had a pop-up stall and was a happy seller of old junk, though in my case the splendid things usually went for far be

Finished watching Hunter's episodes about the auction and the flea market, and a little wave of nostalgia came over me for the days when I had a pop-up stall and was a happy seller of old junk, though in my case the splendid things usually went for

Framed drawing of a dancer whirling on stage in a full pale orange skirt, with spectators watching from a box on the right.

NB! · Coming Up · Art · Museums · Paris · Humour

Major Toulouse-Lautrec retrospective on view at the Grand Palais

Toulouse-Lautrec asks me to pass it on. Incidentally, there is a large retrospective of his work at the Grand Palais right now

Art · Monarchies · Mores · People

The marriage of Maria Josephine of Savoy to the Count of Provence, the future Louis XVIII

Firstly, this is not the most popular portrait of Marie-Joséphine of Savoy, and the woman depicted in it is scarcely recognisable in her other portraits, where she appears as a pomaded slip of a thing in wigs and jewels. Secondly, what do we actually know of this Queen of

Art · Monarchies · Humour

Charles IX of Sweden wore a braid over his bald head and tried to seize Livonia

While Uncle Vasya plasters three strands of a witch's hair across his gleaming bald pate and captivates the ladies on the Metro with his manly charm, Charles IX of Sweden braids a plait over his bald skull and tries to seize Livonia. This is the style for when

Art · Mores · Humour

Egg with soldiers in Europe and in Gottfried von Wedig's still life of 1630

Jot down the recipe: the egg is left to stand briefly at room temperature, boiled in boiling water for 6 minutes and not a second longer, over a low heat at a gentle simmer, and served with salt and toast cut into thin strips. The dish is called egg and

Coming Up · Aristocracy · Archaeology · Art · London

From 1 to 7 October the royal jewellers Wartski, at 60 St James's in London, will be showing a 2,000-year-old sky-blue ring of solid sapphire, which could go for over £500,000

From 1 to 7 October the royal jewellers Wartski, at 60 St James's in London, will be showing a 2,000-year-old sky-blue ring of solid sapphire, which could go for over £500,000. One of the most famous intaglios in the world is believed to

Art · Books · Monarchies · Observations

The 1852 Icelandic “Snow White”, Catherine II and Russian-Danish Relations

In an Icelandic retelling of "Snow White" published in 1852, with illustrations by Theodor Hosemann, the queen bears a striking resemblance to Catherine II. Well, a fine touch for Russo-Danish relations. Iceland at that time, as a result of the Danish-Norwegian union, formed part of Denmark.

Faith · Art · Nature

The goldfinch in depictions of the Holy Family and the legend of the crown of thorns

In depictions of the Holy Family, the infant Jesus often holds a little bird, or receives one from the hands of the infant John the Baptist. The bird is a goldfinch, the very one from the legend of Christ's ascent to Golgotha, which alighted on the crown of

NB! · Architecture · Art · Museums · Paris

A Degas drawing "At the Paris Opera" and those very private partitions in the auditorium of the Paris Opera, on a model of the building in the Musée d'Orsay

Faith · Art · Museums · Heritage · Humour

Yorkshire Museum buys 13th-century Limoges crucifix from St Mary's Abbey at auction

When You've Already Been Crucified, but Your Supervisor Still Asks About Your VAK Publications. Some good news: a remarkable medieval crucifix of copper alloy, the work of Limoges craftsmen, has returned to York, where it was long kept at St Mary's Abbey, now no more. The