Art · Museums · Paris

Wenzel Jamnitzer’s Statuette of Daphne at the Château d’Écouen and the Image of Rebirth

The brilliant Wenzel Jamnitzer managed to discern not the gloomy side of Daphne's story, and his remarkable sculpture shows less the suicide of a despairing girl than a rebirth, a passage into another form of life, free of sin and suffering. This is one of two statuettes of

Museums · Paris · People

The chair in which Molière played Argan on 17 February 1673 is kept at the Comédie-Française

On 17 February 1673, seated in this very chair, the dying Molière played the part of Argan, the "imaginary invalid" who is forever convinced that something ails him. In the play, Argan resolves to feign death in order to see how those around him will behave once he

Stone head of Marianne with a winged dragon on its helmet and a hole in the face, in a dimly lit room of the Arc de Triomphe.

NB! · Art · Heritage · Society · Paris

Sculpture of Marianne damaged inside the Arc de Triomphe during clashes in Paris

Marianne, victim of circumstance. The sculpture, a symbol of the French Republic, in the display at the Arc de Triomphe was badly damaged during clashes between demonstrators and police in central Paris

Society · Paris · People

Joan of Arc, during the failed siege of Paris in which she was wounded, kept food out of the city for almost 20 days, unembarrassed that she was starving and sickening the Parisians

Joan of Arc, during the failed siege of Paris in which she was wounded, kept food out of the city for almost 20 days, unembarrassed that she was starving and sickening the Parisians. Of course, this looks like a perfectly normal part of siege strategy. But the point lies not

Monarchies · Mores · Paris · Pop Culture · Saint Petersburg

In late 1782 Catherine the Great issued two "fashion" decrees at once, banning French toilettes at court

In late 1782 Catherine the Great issued two "fashion" decrees at once, banning French toilettes at court. The decrees of 23 October and 6 November 1782 limited the width of skirts and the height of the ornaments on gowns, which could no longer exceed two vershoks. Despite its

NB! · Aristocracy · Moscow · Observations · Paris · Humour

Suddenly, on the Diletant website, Moscow's culture chief Kibovsky and Venediktov call Viscount Olivier d'Archiac, Dantès's second in the duel with Pushkin, ARISHAK

Suddenly, on the Diletant website, Moscow's culture chief Kibovsky and Venediktov call Viscount Olivier d'Archiac, Dantès's second in the duel with Pushkin, ARISHAK. The cooks are baking cakes for one another.

Gilded tower clock with Roman numerals and a sun at the centre of the dial, flanked by two statues, on a blue background with golden fleurs-de-lis.

NB! · Architecture · Monarchies · Science · Paris

Charles V installed the first city clock of Paris on a palace tower in 1370

The first public clock of Paris was installed at the will of Charles V in 1370. The clock tower was not merely a palace fortification: the clock the king set up showed that the control of time lay in his hands.

Archaeology · The East · Monarchies · Museums · Science · Paris · Humour

In 1976 Egypt issued a passport to the mummy of Ramesses II for examination in Paris

In September 1976 Egypt issued a passport for the Pharaoh Ramesses II. The document certified that Ramesses II was indeed the Pharaoh of Egypt and had been born in 1303 BC. Egyptian scientists had noticed that the pharaoh's body had begun to decay rapidly, possibly owing to the

NB! · Architecture · Faith · Observations · Paris

An exhibition of models of the great churches of France and Europe is under way in the Parisian church of Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois

An exhibition of models of the great churches of France and Europe is under way in the Parisian church of Saint-Germain-l’Auxerrois. For some reason I do not yet see the famous Solberet Cathedral 🧐

NB! · Faith · Museums · Mores · Paris

The Very Reliquary with the Teeth of Abelard and Heloise, Once Owned by Alexandre Lenoir

Books · Monarchies · Museums · Heritage · Paris

In one of the tales in Alexandre Dumas's "A Thousand and One Ghosts" we meet a certain Monsieur Ledru, keeper of an entire collection of royal relics, which he acquired by attending the despoiling of the burial vaults in the Basilica of Saint-Denis and ta

In one of the tales in Alexandre Dumas's "A Thousand and One Ghosts" we meet a certain Monsieur Ledru, keeper of an entire collection of royal relics, which he acquired by attending the despoiling of the burial vaults in the Basilica of Saint-Denis and taking

Skeletons of deer and horned hoofed animals in a hall with tall arched windows, with two large-horned skulls in the foreground.

NB! · Museums · Palaeontology · Paris · Humour

The Parade of Skeletons in the Paris Palaeontology Laboratory Exhibition

The exhibition of the Paris palaeontology laboratory is called a parade of skeletons, because all the skeletons face the same way. And yes, these beasts look as though they have only just reached retirement age in Russia