This is a major pictorial work about the Romanov dynasty, the supreme rulers of Russia for over 300 years, with special emphasis on the life of Nicholas II, the last Tsar. Moreover, it is an unsurpassed photographic record of the lives of the last reigning members of the Russian Royal family. The great majority of the photographs used in this book have never been published before, and have rarely been seen even by researchers from the West, having remained hidden in archives for 70 years, since the Russian revolution. The many contemporary photographs depict Russian royalty in ceremonial dress and …

Taoist meditation is an essential aspect of spiritual practice in the Taoist tradition. Focused on harmony with nature and the Universe, it offers a path to inner peace and deep understanding of oneself and the world around us. Unlike other forms of meditation, it emphasizes flow and transformation, mimicking the natural movement of the Tao, the universal force. In Taoist literature, such as Lao Tzu's "Tao Te Ching", these principles are explored and guided, allowing for rewarding and enlightening practice. This book on Taoist meditation will be a valuable addition for anyone looking to deepen their understanding of these ancient …

Capital city, subject of legends and myths, Paris also has its own special atmosphere. It is undoubtedly among the most beautiful of all cities due to its many celebrated monuments and buildings – the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, and the Sacré Coeur. Author Véronique Laflèche traces the historical development of Paris before taking us on a trip through the streets and the different areas of this unique city. Halting every now and then to provide us with details on the history of various buildings, famous or not so famous, reveals the throbbing pulse of the Parisian life, enabling …

When, almost twenty years ago, we founded the World of Art, we had a burning desire to liberate Russian artistic activity from the tutelage of literature, to instil in the society around us a love of the very essence of art, and that was the aim we had when we took the field. We considered enemies all those “who fail to respect art as such”, those who either fasten wings to an old nag or harness Pegasus to the cart of “social ideals”, or reject the idea of Pegasus altogether. For that reason, we addressed ourselves to the artistic world …

Housed in the Hermitage Museum along with other institutes, libraries, and museums in Russia and the republics of the former Soviet Union are some of the most magnificent treasures of Persian Art. For the most part, many of these works have been lost, but have been catalogued and published here for the first time with an unsurpassed selection of colour plates. In a comprehensive introduction, Vladimir Lukonin, Director of the Oriental Art section of the Hermitage Museum, and his colleague Anatoli Ivanov have broadly documented the major developments of Persian Art: from the first signs of civilisation on the plains …

Born in Krasnoiarsk in 1848, Surikov died in Moscow in 1916. He is one of the great masters of history painting, and he occupies a special place in Russian culture. Like Delacroix, he believed that history was not a pretext for nice painting but an inexorable drama with neither culprits nor innocents but rather people driven by invisible forces. He was very knowledgeable about Russian history, and his paintings deal with crucial moments. He sought in historical events the answers to pressing problems of his time. Here is a book about a painter little-known in the West, analysed with understanding …

Empires are born. Empires reach their peak. Empires die, but leave their mark through their architecture and artistic achievements. From these specks of dust of memory, 40 centuries of history shape our world of the 21st century. The power of ancient Egypt was followed by the influence of Greece, which brought the Persian East together in the conquests of Alexander the Great. After Cleopatra, the last queen of Egypt, Rome became the power that ruled part of the world, finally dying out in the fall of the Byzantine Empire on 29 May 1453. The authors take the reader on a …

September 4, 476 A. D. marked the end of the Western Roman Empire. After several centuries of prosperity, Europe sank into chaos. With Charlemagne, a new dynamic begins that of a civilising reconstruction. The Romanesque period is part of the rediscovery of this Roman Empire, lost in memories, but living on in the architectural testimonies of the cities and the countryside. In art history, Romanesque art refers to the period between the beginning of the 11th and the end of the 12th century. This era was characterised by a great diversity of regional schools, each practising their own unique style. …

Over the course of history, many wars have changed the political and cultural landscape of our world. While these events are defined by their upheaval and violence, they frequently contribute to the formation of the identity of entire generations or groups of people, and thus have significant cultural effects. Despite the physical and emotional destruction that occurs during these turbulent periods, they have inspired prolific artistic creation. In the wake of traumatic events over the centuries, a myriad of artists have produced works that immortalise the most dramatic moments of these wars in order to establish them in history forever. …