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NB! · Architecture · Art · Monarchies · Observations
The interiors of the château bear the initials of the owner couple and the emblems of Francis I and his wife
The interiors of the château bear the initials of the owner couple and the emblems of Francis I and his wife. I cannot believe that a mistress so witty and attentive to detail would not have endowed the greedy squirrels at the martyr's feet with some special meaning
NB! · Architecture · Art · Monarchies · Observations · Humour
A stained-glass window at the Château d'Azay-le-Rideau, built by Gilles Berthelot, treasurer to Francis I, or rather by his wife Philippa
A stained-glass window at the Château d'Azay-le-Rideau, built by Gilles Berthelot, treasurer to Francis I, or rather by his wife Philippa. Look at the spiteful squirrels below: it looks like a dig at King Francis and Queen Claude
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Search results for Nicholas II: family members and Rasputin marked with question marks
NB! · Architecture · Art · Museums · Saint Petersburg
The walls of the White Dining Room in the Grand Palace at Peterhof are decorated only with bas-reliefs of mythological subjects: no paintings, no bronze
NB! · Architecture · Monarchies · Paris
Versailles in the Evening
NB! · Monarchies · Mores · People
The lovely daughter of the King of Poland, Marie Leszczyńska, became Queen of France, but was made wretched by the countless infidelities of Louis XV
The lovely daughter of the King of Poland, Marie Leszczyńska, became Queen of France, but was made wretched by the countless infidelities of Louis XV. One of his mistresses was the far less attractive Madame de Pompadour
NB! · Science · Paris · People
And this is for you, in honour of the 270th anniversary of the birth of Louis-Abraham Breguet, who for many years worked in his stepfather's watchmaking workshop entirely for free: the man knew that in the end the boy would get his due
NB! · Architecture · Faith · Observations · Rome
The Galleon Fountain at the Casina of Pius IV in the Vatican is covered in ice
The frozen Galleon Fountain in the courtyard of the Casina of Pius IV in the Vatican usually fires water, "extinguishing the fire of war", in the phrase of Pope Urban VIII. But these days the galleon is sheathed in a crust of ice, which is more allegorical still
NB! · Archaeology · Architecture · Heritage
Of the Chapultepec aqueduct, which ran from Montezuma's residence to Tenochtitlan (3 km) and supplied the whole city with water, only 14 arches remain today
Of the Chapultepec aqueduct, which ran from Montezuma's residence to Tenochtitlan (3 km) and supplied the whole city with water, only 14 arches remain today. The Spaniards' seizure of the aqueduct proved decisive in the capture of the Aztec capital
NB! · Aristocracy · Archive · Monarchies · People
The Last Artefact of the Day: An Authentic Manuscript of Gaston, Duke of Orléans, Brother of Louis XIII, Who Lived and Died in Blois
NB! · Architecture · Monarchies · Heritage
Everywhere at Blois are carved the crowned porcupine and the two royal monograms, of Louis and Anne
Everywhere at Blois are carved the crowned porcupine and the two royal monograms, of Louis and Anne. The porcupine is the emblem of the House of Orléans and the personal symbol of King Louis. The motto of the house: Cominus et eminus, At a distance and at close quarters