The Destiny of the Seven Rembrandts
There are many fascinating side-stories to The Lady with an Ostrich Feather Fan. This one began at the August 25, 1760 art auction in The Hague. My research of the auction records show there were seven Rembrandts in that auction—five were bought by … [Continue reading]
What the Russians Brought Home After Paris
In 1813, Napoleon was retreating from his failed invasion of Russia. Chasing Napoleon’s remnant of surviving soldiers back to France, the victorious allies entered Paris with 100,000 troops, 63,000 of them were Russians. Shouting “Paris! Paris!” the … [Continue reading]
What did Rembrandt think?
We will never know! When I was in Washington DC and recommended by a friend to see the Yusupov Rembrandts at the National Gallery of Art, I had no expectation it would be the start of a many years exploration into the meaning and history of those … [Continue reading]
Is There Truth in Historical Fiction? The Drama of Unintended Consequences
Writers of historical fiction will offer all sorts of answers to that question. Reviewers will have even more. They will probably all be correct, from their point of view. One perspective is that all history is fiction. We only know of any event from … [Continue reading]
A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION
A top Russian university comes to Southern California I was pleased to introduce the St. Petersburg State University of Economics to three top academic institutions here. The goal is to establish meaningful and mutually beneficial relationships. This … [Continue reading]
Russia –“The beginning of the end of autocracy?”
The cover story of a recent Economist magazine, read “The beginning of the end of Putin.” The deeper meaning of those well chosen words might be “The beginning of the end of autocracy.” As always in Russia, there is a third side of the coin. Putin … [Continue reading]
WHO KILLED RASPUTIN??
Ronald Moe was a committed seeker for truth. Before Ron’s recent untimely passing he had finished his book on the murder of Rasputin and its meaning in the unraveling events in Russian history. “Prelude to the Revolution, the Murder of Rasputin” is … [Continue reading]
SIBERIA, USA???
Many are surprised that the Russians like to joke about themselves and their leaders. But I wonder about the February 28, 2011 article in Pravda.ru. It was titled “Siberia to separate from Russia to become a part of USA” Now is that funny or … [Continue reading]
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