Architecture · Faith · Art · Observations · People · Rome

Pierre Le Gros’s Statue of Stanislaus Kostka in the Church of Saint Andrew on the Quirinal, Rome

This sculpture, the equal of Bernini's finest works and a flawless example of Roman Baroque, was made in 1703 by the Frenchman Pierre Le Gros: a sculpted portrait of Saint Stanislaus Kostka, the blessed patron of Poland and of lay servants of the Church. It is not the

Aerial night view of the illuminated Acropolis hill with the Parthenon, surrounded by the lights of Athens.

NB! · Observations

Night view of the Acropolis with the Parthenon and the lights of Athens

Athens by night. Gods of Olympus, how beautiful!

Aristocracy · Art · London · Museums · Observations

Kokoshnik, not Mucha style, in Shannon's 1918 portrait of the Duchess of Rutland

Had a small dispute with ArtUK and National Trust Collections over Sir James Jebusa Shannon's 1918 portrait of Violet Lindsay, Duchess of Rutland (1856-1937). The cause of my displeasure is the description of the work, which states that in this exotic portrait Lady Violet, her hands dramatically

Monarchies · Observations · Pop Culture

Margrethe II's Van Cleef & Arpels engagement ring compared with that of Elizabeth II

Perhaps my favourite, Queen Margrethe II of Denmark, has the weightiest engagement ring of any European queen of the twentieth century. Similar to the engagement ring of Josephine and of Jacqueline Kennedy in the toi et moi style (“you and me”, French), Margrethe’s ring from the house of Van

NB! · Art · Moscow · Observations · Humour

In the helmet of a figure in Gerard David's 1498 diptych "The Flaying of the Corrupt Judge", after a story from Herodotus' "Histories", yet another Stalinist high-rise appears to be reflected

Architecture · Art · Moscow · Observations · Heritage

The entrance to the Central Economics and Mathematics Institute building on Nakhimovsky Prospekt in Moscow has been fenced off; it is not in use at present

The entrance to the Central Economics and Mathematics Institute building on Nakhimovsky Prospekt in Moscow has been fenced off; it is not in use at present. I took the trouble to walk over specially, to capture a living legend while it is still one. Last year there was talk of

The East · Books · Monarchies · Observations · Humour

The legend of Fath Ali Shah and the third edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica

There is a legend that Fath Ali, Shah of Iran (1772-1834), having received in 1797 the 18-volume edition of the Encyclopaedia Britannica, read it from cover to cover and added to his royal title the words "Most Formidable Lord and Master of the Encyclopaedia Britannica". It

NB! · Observations

The New Year Will Certainly Be Better Than the Old One, Little One

NB! · Faith · Observations

Though, to be fair, the infant Jesus is quite simply my favourite hero of world culture

Faith · Books · Observations · People

Russian translations of Robert Southwell's poems and his Christmas poem “The Burning Babe”

I have a naive but perfectly achievable wish: that good, true translations of the English poet and saint Robert Southwell might at last be published in Russian. It is hard to find an author who describes the Christian universe so eloquently and uplifts the spirit so, or who conveys metaphysical

Art · Observations · Heritage · Society

The Madonna of Luca della Robbia, to be offered at Sotheby's in early 2021: how she looks now and how she looked before restoration

The pre-sale estimate for the maiolica is impressive, with figures of up to a million dollars being mentioned. That is a good deal for polychrome glazed terracotta of the Quattrocento, but it should be remembered that the work belongs to the master who all but created the style, and

NB! · Observations · Mores · Pop Culture