Art · Observations · Saint Petersburg · Humour

I know nothing about this magazine, except that its cover shows a Leningrad Porcelain Factory figurine, "Fire Horse", with its legs chipped off in exactly the same way as on an identical statuette I threw away a couple of years ago

I know nothing about this magazine, except that its cover shows a Leningrad Porcelain Factory figurine, "Fire Horse", with its legs chipped off in exactly the same way as on an identical statuette I threw away a couple of years ago. Can such coincidences happen, or has the

NB! · Art · Observations · Society Pages

Today's Favourite Work from Cosmoscow: an Iron Laocoön by Vilgeny Melnikov at the Pop-Up Gallery Stand

Today's favourite work from Cosmoscow: an iron Laocoön by Vilgeny Melnikov at the Pop-Up Gallery stand. Melnikov works somewhere near Petersburg on experimental sculpture and is developing his own technique of hydroforming, the inflating of metal objects

A ceramic sculpture of pastries on a pink stem, set on a blue-rimmed plate in front of a mirror in a dark wooden frame.

Art · Monarchies · Observations

The saying about pastries attributed to Marie Antoinette goes back to Rousseau

Irina Korina's charming works with éclairs on the Sistema gallery stand, devoted to Marie Antoinette's phrase "let them eat cake" But just in case, let me remind you that "If they have no bread, let them eat cake!" was attributed to the

Books · Observations · Humour

The book “Pot nebesny” about the Russian Olympic team at the Beijing Games in summer 2008

They helped us not to lose. They played, but did not win. They prevented us from winning. They did not prevent us. They were unwell. Quite possibly the wittiest table of contents in history. Though the title, "Heavenly Sweat", is not without merit either. A book about the

Archive · Observations · Mores · Pop Culture

Wedding of Madge Elliott and Cyril Ritchard in 1935 and possibly the longest bridal veil

Stumbled upon this photograph by chance and may have found the longest wedding veil in history; its owner was the British-born Australian dancer and actress Madge Elliott. In September 1935 Madge married the Australian actor Cyril Ritchard. The dress and veil were created by the English couturier Peter Russell.

NB! · Architecture · Observations · Heritage

Those who have never seen the Bastille (and most of my subscribers have not, since the fortress was demolished during the French Revolution), I advise to look at the Château de Tarascon, built between 1400 and 1435 and completely…

Monarchies · Observations · Pop Culture · Humour

Remember the Australian comedian who calls himself the secret son of King Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles?

Remember the Australian comedian who calls himself the secret son of King Charles and Camilla Parker Bowles? He has turned up again, and all the more opportunely, since the King and Queen's visit to Australia has come at just the right moment. As fresh proof of his royal

Cinema · Monarchies · Museums · Observations · Paris · Humour

The helmet with Henry VIII's deranged expression that I saw recently in the Louvre has always reminded me of the mask worn by the dreadfully dangerous criminal Albert van den Bosch in the film "Taxi 4"

But in fact this helmet, which I wrote about briefly in my book, is the sole surviving piece of the armour presented by the Emperor Maximilian I as a diplomatic gift to the English king Henry VIII in 1514. I trust no one will dispute that the old man would

NB! · Art · Observations · Pop Culture · Nature · Humour

A piglet in the 1578 work by Hans Hoffmann

Does anyone still remember the popular baby hippo? To my mind, the sweet piglet by Hans Hoffmann, 1578, is not one whit less charming. Though, is there a single young creature in the world that fails to melt the heart?

Coming Up · Art · Moscow · Museums · Observations · People

Igor Shelkovsky exhibition “Celestial City. The Artist’s Workshop” at MAMM until 15 December

The Multimedia Art Museum is hosting a major exhibition of Igor Shelkovsky, "Celestial City. The Artist's Studio". Together with the retrospective at the Tretyakov Gallery and MAMM, it is the largest exhibition of the master's work. Shelkovsky is one of the outstanding nonconformists, a

NB! · Moscow · Observations

Beloved Beauty Moscow

NB! · Architecture · Monarchies · Observations · Heritage · Paris

The restored furnishings of Louis XVIII's throne room in the Louvre raise one question: why do the proportions and appearance of the canopy differ so greatly from the dome above the throne under Louis-Philippe and Napoleon III?