Faith · Art · Observations · Humour

My favourite pig in the history of world culture, apart from Babe the piglet, of course, is the charming porker of Anthony of Egypt in a late seventeenth-century sculpture in Segovia Cathedral

My favourite pig in the history of world culture, apart from Babe the piglet, of course, is the charming porker of Anthony of Egypt in a late seventeenth-century sculpture in Segovia Cathedral. Just look at this sweet pig with the little spot on its snout! ❤️🐽 Saint Anthony has been

Art · Observations · Society Pages

At a lecture by the publisher Natalia Semenova at Club 418 I learnt that Vermeer's "Allegory of Faith" was bought as a painting of dubious attribution, or at any rate with a forged signature on it

At a lecture by the publisher Natalia Semenova at Club 418 I learnt that Vermeer's "Allegory of Faith" was bought as a painting of dubious attribution, or at any rate with a forged signature on it. It found its way into the collection of Dmitry Ivanovich

NB! · Observations · Mores · Pop Culture

I see no scandal whatsoever in coloured socks on men, whoever the wearer may be

I see no scandal whatsoever in coloured socks on men, whoever the wearer may be. Bush Senior, for one, constantly sported cheerful little socks, and was particularly fond of pink ones.

Faith · Art · Observations

Saint Iphigenia and the Theories of Her Origin, from Axum to Crimea and Colchis

In the photograph with Iphigenia, the Ethiopian king's daughter from the Martyrdom of St Matthew, there are two young saints: Maria Maddalena de' Pazzi, a Carmelite nun of the 16th and 17th centuries who recorded in her diary mystical apparitions of the Mother of God and of

Art · Monarchies · Observations · Humour

Portrait of the deposed King Charles IV of Spain by Juan Bauzil, 1818

And who is this pockmarked fellow with the playful ringlets? Charles IV, King of Spain, deposed in 1808, bears a resemblance to Trump, especially, as you can see, from behind. Why the Spaniard Juan Boisil painted such a portrait is unclear. Still, given the year of its creation, 1818, one

In the Press · Observations · Humour

The author studies readers' Yandex Zen search queries, from Maximilian to the Parthenon

Some would call it a chore, but to me it is a rather entertaining pastime: getting to know my readers and studying the search queries that lead to my Yandex.Zen. What I mean to say is that it is very pleasant to bring together people who would like to

Architecture · Books · Observations

Libreria Acqua Alta bookshop in Venice keeps its books in boats and bathtubs

How about a gondola full of books? Just such a gondola may be seen in one of the most unusual bookshops in the world, Libreria Acqua Alta in Venice. Here the books await their buyers not only inside gondolas but in other kinds of boats too, even canoes. The shop

Architecture · Observations · Heritage · Paris

The aesthetics of paving every habitable corner of the earth in granite has reached Paris too

The aesthetics of paving every habitable corner of the earth in granite has reached Paris too. The Pavillon de l'Arsenal in Paris is showing a project to reconstruct the Champs-Élysées by the architect Philippe Chiambaretta and his agency, painfully reminiscent of Moscow's Muzeon park and

NB! · Cinema · Observations

Mood for This Morning: 2001: A Space Odyssey

Architecture · Observations · Humour

The Tower of São Vicente de Belém in Lisbon, early sixteenth century

vs The dacha of the oil magnate Steingel on the southern shore of Crimea, 1912 Incidentally, both structures are considerably smaller in reality than they appear in the photographs

Books · Observations · Society

Benkendorf and accusations against liberals in journalism on Pushkin's death

Reading journalism on Pushkin's death, I am even frightened by what Benckendorff regards as a real threat, and by how he keeps reaching for liberals as the final accusation. That is to say, Russia really has been stuck in this paradigm of fear of liberalism for centuries 🤦🏽‍♂️

Observations · Science · Education · Society

New Rules for Postgraduate Study Pass First Reading

New rules for postgraduate study have passed their first reading. Postgraduate study is to become once more the third level of higher education: postgraduates will enjoy the right to deferment from military service, will be able to claim a place in a hall of residence, and will receive a stipend