Monarchies · Observations · Humour
Our good old acquaintance, Carl Philip, Prince of Suede, that is to say, of Sweden. This form of the word, suede, came into English from French, where it took hold thanks to the expression gants de Suède, "Swedish gloves", the name for articles made of the very soft,
Faith · Art · Observations · Rome
In St Peter's Square the Christmas tree has been lit and the crib unveiled, which, all in all, has become one more unexpected gesture from Pope Francis. Never before has the Nativity scene been presented in such implausible figures. If I am honest, only the ram in this
Aristocracy · Monarchies · Observations · Humour
Seven-month-old Prince Charles of Luxembourg, the first child of Hereditary Grand Duke Guillaume and his wife Countess Stéphanie de Lannoy, is preparing to celebrate his first Christmas. I look at this photograph and remember travelling to Luxembourg by bus with Auntie Nina to buy meat for borscht, because
NB! · Books · Observations · Humour
The most expensive, of course, is the collection of my rare works and letters at 433,000 roubles on Ozon. So far I cannot afford them myself 😂
NB! · Geography · Maps · Observations
NB! · In the Press · Observations
NB! · Museums · Observations · Society · Saint Petersburg
A queue for the Kunstkamera. The museum has thrown open its doors free of charge at the very peak of the coronavirus wave. Colleagues, are you quite sure this was the right decision? Does nothing give you pause?
Moscow · Observations · Mores · Society Pages
The gallery of photographs of distinguished guests at Pirosmani, the oldest Georgian restaurant in Moscow, has a new addition: Inna Churikova and Gleb Panfilov among friends. Every new reality, after all, has its own aesthetic hallmarks by which future generations will easily recognise its milestones, rather as in: “Dear friends,
Observations · Education · Society
The struggle against the revision of history and the want of patriotism could not logically fail to widen the domains of censorship and to prompt attempts to regulate the various branches of intellectual activity. A law is now being pushed through on what enlightenment may be and what it may
NB! · Archaeology · Art · Observations · Heritage
A magnificent mosaic of scenes showing the transport of exotic animals, 4th century AD, Villa del Casale, Sicily. I am particularly struck by the exhaustive information it gives on the clothing of the period, in both colours and details.
Moscow · Museums · Observations · Society
The news dates from the end of November, when one could still visit museums after a fashion, but all the same: ticket revenue at the Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts fell by almost 70% in 2020 compared with the previous year. What are other museums to do, those without
In the Press · Books · Observations · Humour
I know everyone has already written about the "book" issue of Elle, guest-edited by Anna Popova, whom we know from the Dostoevsky bookshop. I leafed through it, and there is Katya Mukhina in her editor's letter writing about an assistant who stole from her the