NB! · Aristocracy · Cinema · Monarchies · Mores · People · Humour

And yes, the ancestor of Kit Harington, who played Jon Snow in "Game of Thrones", a poet and courtier of the sixteenth century, Sir John Harington, invented the first flushing lavatory for the aged Queen Elizabeth I

Books · Monarchies · Observations · Mores · Humour

Sir John Harington's joke, which he played on James VI

Sir John Harington's joke, which he played on James VI. At least, so it is recorded in the book by the admirable Christina Larner, a historian and one of the first to take up the subject of witchcraft. The court poet, incidentally an ancestor of our beloved Kit

Architecture · Moscow · Observations · Education · Humour

I hardly know how to comment on this Facebook post by the architect and former MARKHI professor Evgeny Ass

I hardly know how to comment on this Facebook post by the architect and former MARKHI professor Evgeny Ass. The gatehouse of MARKHI, which occupies the Volynsky-Vorontsov estate, has turned into this. The structure has undergone several transformations of late; I remember that not long ago it looked like

NB! · Art · Monarchies · Observations · People · Humour

Marie Antoinette as a Hyena

Marie Antoinette as a hyena. The hairstyle is odd, of course

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

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

Architecture · Museums · Observations · People · Humour

The legend of a Kremlin messenger at Pasternak's dacha in Peredelkino

Pasternak's house in Peredelkino, of course, comes wreathed in an entire body of legend. As a child I was very fond of this dacha and gave little thought to how real many of the stories told about it might be. Who could think of criticism when people such

NB! · Coming Up · Cinema · Humour

Plans for the Evening: Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968)

Plans for the evening: Dracula Has Risen from the Grave (1968). As for the posters with Christopher Lee, they fully merit attention in their own right.

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

Moscow · Museums · Observations · Heritage · Humour

Graffiti on the Museum of Contemporary Russian History facade and damage of 126,000 roubles

I hear on the Kultura news that vandals have defiled the façade of the Museum of Contemporary Russian History. I think: well, blimey! I watch the report, and what they show is a tiny bit of graffiti beside a mascaron of a disgruntled lion. Good heavens, what a desecration! The

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

London · Observations · Pop Culture · Humour

Two Victorian dolls in the London Underground and a comparison with Moscow's metro

Victorian twin dolls take a ride on the London Underground. This is precisely the moment when one wants not only to cross oneself like an old crone with the words "Thank God it's not Moscow", but simply to scream: they are dreadful, frankly ghastly. Then again,