Coming Up · Art · London
The star lot of Christie’s forthcoming March sale will be Gerhard Richter’s landscape “Schober (Haybarn)”, painted in 1984
The canvas carries a pre-sale estimate of £6–8 million
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London · Monarchies · Society · Ethnography
In 1824 the King and Queen of Hawaii, Kamehameha II and Kamamalu, visited Britain
In 1824 the King and Queen of Hawaii, Kamehameha II and Kamamalu, visited Britain. The second ruler of the islands, Kamehameha, like his father, the founder of the kingdom, relied on the might of British and American arms, particularly in view of the revolts that kept flaring up against him.
Faith · London · Monarchies · Observations · Society
The Prince of Darkness
Andrew Mountbatten Windsor has been spirited out of Royal Lodge under cover of night, the official country residence in Windsor Great Park, formerly the residence of Elizabeth II, and has begun his exile at Sandringham. The police are considering allegations from his victims arising from the Epstein files. But, you
Archaeology · Architecture · Faith · London · Heritage
This year Sarah Mullally will formally take up the office of Archbishop of Canterbury, becoming not only the first woman to hold it but also the first occupant of the palace since its recent reconstruction
Lambeth Palace in London, for eight centuries the residence of the Archbishops of Canterbury, has been restored for the first time in 70 years. The £40 million reconstruction was devoted to the restoration and conservation of the building's historic elements. The palace serves as the archbishop's
Faith · London · Monarchies · Observations · Society
In his Christmas message, King Charles III of Great Britain speaks with rapture of Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and the "diversity of communities"
But Christmas is surely not about inclusivity, nor about the brotherhood of foreign creeds, nor about any Oriental rites or political truisms. Christmas is the feast of the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. Let me remind you that, under English legal requirements, the King of England must be a
Faith · Books · London
The ghost of Jacob Marley appeared before Ebenezer Scrooge on Christmas Eve
The ghost of Jacob Marley appeared before Ebenezer Scrooge on Christmas Eve. Marley, the miser's former partner, found himself after death bound in chains made up of ledgers and cash-boxes: in life, after all, he had been far too greedy. Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol
Art · London · Observations · Society
Remember how everyone was recently discussing the sale at Christie's of an imperial Fabergé egg for £22 million?
It has emerged that the "Imperial Winter Egg" is a fake. Moreover, the maker himself has confirmed that he produced two such eggs on a private commission in the 1990s. That this "Fabergé" has nothing to do with the Russian imperial family is also indicated by
Archaeology · In the Press · London · Science
ARTnews has compiled a list of the most talked-about archaeological discoveries of 2025:
Beneath the Palace of Westminster, flint tools of the Mesolithic and Neolithic eras, about 6,000 years old, have been found, together with artefacts dating from the Roman Empire and the Middle Ages In Shaanxi Province in China, a network of 573 ancient stone fortifications has been found, the earliest
London · Society · People
In 1777, a year after America declared its independence from Great Britain, the Anglo-Irish statesman Edmund Burke wrote to his friend and ally, the prominent opponent of the king Charles James Fox, something along these lines:
People oppressed by the law have no hope but to rely on power. If the laws are their enemies, they will be enemies of the laws; and those who have much to hope for and nothing to lose will always be dangerous Both Burke and Fox are known above all
NB! · Art · London
The English fleet near the mouth of the Thames, waiting for rich Flemish merchants in the hope of seizing their goods
The English fleet near the mouth of the Thames, waiting for rich Flemish merchants in the hope of seizing their goods. Late 15th century
NB! · London · Monarchies · Society · Humour
Boris Johnson: a wicked fairy does not exist, they said; Boris Johnson: the wicked fairy will do you no harm
London · Monarchies · Museums · Observations · Paris
Jewels That Were Not Stolen
The diamond parure of Marie Antoinette, from the exhibition devoted to her at the Victoria and Albert Museum. It is a great pity that I could not attend the exhibition, since I have no English visa, but thanks to a correspondent in England I shall prepare a detailed report all