Robbert Leusink
@robbertleusink.bsky.social
Subscribe to my newsletter on art, fashion and culture: https://thekitschinquisition.substack.com/
It's the 11th of November: Saint Martin’s Day
Most people have no idea why that matters
But for centuries, it was one of the most important feasts in Europe
Forgotten traditions:
Most people have no idea why that matters
But for centuries, it was one of the most important feasts in Europe
Forgotten traditions:
November 11, 2025 at 1:02 PM
It's the 11th of November: Saint Martin’s Day
Most people have no idea why that matters
But for centuries, it was one of the most important feasts in Europe
Forgotten traditions:
Most people have no idea why that matters
But for centuries, it was one of the most important feasts in Europe
Forgotten traditions:
The Hemony brothers perfected bell tuning in the 1600s
François and Pieter cast carillons for churches across the Netherlands and Northern Europe
Each bell tuned to create harmonious chords
A single carillon took years to complete
François and Pieter cast carillons for churches across the Netherlands and Northern Europe
Each bell tuned to create harmonious chords
A single carillon took years to complete
November 11, 2025 at 7:00 AM
The Hemony brothers perfected bell tuning in the 1600s
François and Pieter cast carillons for churches across the Netherlands and Northern Europe
Each bell tuned to create harmonious chords
A single carillon took years to complete
François and Pieter cast carillons for churches across the Netherlands and Northern Europe
Each bell tuned to create harmonious chords
A single carillon took years to complete
Real artisans don’t romanticise the past.
They just keep doing the work because it’s worth doing.
They just keep doing the work because it’s worth doing.
November 10, 2025 at 6:59 PM
Real artisans don’t romanticise the past.
They just keep doing the work because it’s worth doing.
They just keep doing the work because it’s worth doing.
European bookbinding is a true art form
Italian marbled papers
English gold-tooled spines
French morocco leather bindings
Dutch decorated gilt paper
Italian marbled papers
English gold-tooled spines
French morocco leather bindings
Dutch decorated gilt paper
November 10, 2025 at 6:03 PM
European bookbinding is a true art form
Italian marbled papers
English gold-tooled spines
French morocco leather bindings
Dutch decorated gilt paper
Italian marbled papers
English gold-tooled spines
French morocco leather bindings
Dutch decorated gilt paper
Art was never about the highest skill level.
It has always been about imperfection: wabi-sabi.
Like Amsterdam canal houses. No two are identical, each slightly off, built over decades.
That's why we like them.
We hate modern art because of standardisation.
It has always been about imperfection: wabi-sabi.
Like Amsterdam canal houses. No two are identical, each slightly off, built over decades.
That's why we like them.
We hate modern art because of standardisation.
November 10, 2025 at 2:59 PM
Art was never about the highest skill level.
It has always been about imperfection: wabi-sabi.
Like Amsterdam canal houses. No two are identical, each slightly off, built over decades.
That's why we like them.
We hate modern art because of standardisation.
It has always been about imperfection: wabi-sabi.
Like Amsterdam canal houses. No two are identical, each slightly off, built over decades.
That's why we like them.
We hate modern art because of standardisation.
Consoomers love to boast about same-day delivery b.s.
But historic European postal systems were true miracles of logistics:
-Royal Mail (1516): Delivered across England reliably
-Thurn und Taxis (1490s): Connected Holy Roman Empire
-Poste Royale (1464): French nationwide network
But historic European postal systems were true miracles of logistics:
-Royal Mail (1516): Delivered across England reliably
-Thurn und Taxis (1490s): Connected Holy Roman Empire
-Poste Royale (1464): French nationwide network
November 10, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Consoomers love to boast about same-day delivery b.s.
But historic European postal systems were true miracles of logistics:
-Royal Mail (1516): Delivered across England reliably
-Thurn und Taxis (1490s): Connected Holy Roman Empire
-Poste Royale (1464): French nationwide network
But historic European postal systems were true miracles of logistics:
-Royal Mail (1516): Delivered across England reliably
-Thurn und Taxis (1490s): Connected Holy Roman Empire
-Poste Royale (1464): French nationwide network
Vienna's coffee houses were laboratories of thought
Freud wrote there
Trotsky plotted revolution there
Stefan Zweig observed humanity there
Freud wrote there
Trotsky plotted revolution there
Stefan Zweig observed humanity there
November 10, 2025 at 1:03 AM
Vienna's coffee houses were laboratories of thought
Freud wrote there
Trotsky plotted revolution there
Stefan Zweig observed humanity there
Freud wrote there
Trotsky plotted revolution there
Stefan Zweig observed humanity there
The bouquinistes of Paris have lined the Seine since the 1500s
Green boxes filled with old books, prints, maps
You'll find the best literature here
They survived bans, war, and Haussmann
But are now more and more forced to sell tourist garbage
What made Paris intellectual is slowly being replaced
Green boxes filled with old books, prints, maps
You'll find the best literature here
They survived bans, war, and Haussmann
But are now more and more forced to sell tourist garbage
What made Paris intellectual is slowly being replaced
November 9, 2025 at 11:03 PM
The bouquinistes of Paris have lined the Seine since the 1500s
Green boxes filled with old books, prints, maps
You'll find the best literature here
They survived bans, war, and Haussmann
But are now more and more forced to sell tourist garbage
What made Paris intellectual is slowly being replaced
Green boxes filled with old books, prints, maps
You'll find the best literature here
They survived bans, war, and Haussmann
But are now more and more forced to sell tourist garbage
What made Paris intellectual is slowly being replaced
What new world wines, like Chile, South Africa etc. get wrong is that you can't mass-produce terroir.
Terroir is cultivated over the centuries.
It's generational knowledge:
The knowledge was sacred:
Which slope catches morning sun
How soil composition affects taste
When to harvest each plot
Terroir is cultivated over the centuries.
It's generational knowledge:
The knowledge was sacred:
Which slope catches morning sun
How soil composition affects taste
When to harvest each plot
November 9, 2025 at 5:58 PM
What new world wines, like Chile, South Africa etc. get wrong is that you can't mass-produce terroir.
Terroir is cultivated over the centuries.
It's generational knowledge:
The knowledge was sacred:
Which slope catches morning sun
How soil composition affects taste
When to harvest each plot
Terroir is cultivated over the centuries.
It's generational knowledge:
The knowledge was sacred:
Which slope catches morning sun
How soil composition affects taste
When to harvest each plot
The average sacristan in Europe is 70+ years old...
You need to get involved while you're still young
It's to preserve things for the future...
You need to get involved while you're still young
It's to preserve things for the future...
November 9, 2025 at 4:56 PM
The average sacristan in Europe is 70+ years old...
You need to get involved while you're still young
It's to preserve things for the future...
You need to get involved while you're still young
It's to preserve things for the future...
The European café wasn't just coffee
Vienna: Newspapers, chess, afternoon discussions
Paris: Writers, artists, revolutionaries plotting
Amsterdam: Merchants trading information
Rome: Dolce far niente perfected
Each city had its own café culture
Each one shaped intellectual life
Vienna: Newspapers, chess, afternoon discussions
Paris: Writers, artists, revolutionaries plotting
Amsterdam: Merchants trading information
Rome: Dolce far niente perfected
Each city had its own café culture
Each one shaped intellectual life
November 9, 2025 at 2:03 PM
The European café wasn't just coffee
Vienna: Newspapers, chess, afternoon discussions
Paris: Writers, artists, revolutionaries plotting
Amsterdam: Merchants trading information
Rome: Dolce far niente perfected
Each city had its own café culture
Each one shaped intellectual life
Vienna: Newspapers, chess, afternoon discussions
Paris: Writers, artists, revolutionaries plotting
Amsterdam: Merchants trading information
Rome: Dolce far niente perfected
Each city had its own café culture
Each one shaped intellectual life
European Sundays used to be quiet.
-Church bells.
-Long family meals.
-All businesses closed.
A day to rest and reflect.
Now people do their shopping on Sundays.
Go to festivals. Host events.
Or waste it by being hungover.
Sunday should be free.
But most fill it with even more consumption.
-Church bells.
-Long family meals.
-All businesses closed.
A day to rest and reflect.
Now people do their shopping on Sundays.
Go to festivals. Host events.
Or waste it by being hungover.
Sunday should be free.
But most fill it with even more consumption.
November 9, 2025 at 12:57 PM
European Sundays used to be quiet.
-Church bells.
-Long family meals.
-All businesses closed.
A day to rest and reflect.
Now people do their shopping on Sundays.
Go to festivals. Host events.
Or waste it by being hungover.
Sunday should be free.
But most fill it with even more consumption.
-Church bells.
-Long family meals.
-All businesses closed.
A day to rest and reflect.
Now people do their shopping on Sundays.
Go to festivals. Host events.
Or waste it by being hungover.
Sunday should be free.
But most fill it with even more consumption.
I recently switched from boar hair to horse hair tooth brushes...
Are you still brushing your teeth with plastic? (ngmi)
x.com/leusinkrobb...
Are you still brushing your teeth with plastic? (ngmi)
x.com/leusinkrobb...
November 9, 2025 at 11:58 AM
I recently switched from boar hair to horse hair tooth brushes...
Are you still brushing your teeth with plastic? (ngmi)
x.com/leusinkrobb...
Are you still brushing your teeth with plastic? (ngmi)
x.com/leusinkrobb...
Work used to be sacred.
Long before burnout was invented
Our ancestors built for eternity
Not for quick clout
Guilds shaped our continent
And work shaped our souls...
Long before burnout was invented
Our ancestors built for eternity
Not for quick clout
Guilds shaped our continent
And work shaped our souls...
November 9, 2025 at 10:02 AM
Work used to be sacred.
Long before burnout was invented
Our ancestors built for eternity
Not for quick clout
Guilds shaped our continent
And work shaped our souls...
Long before burnout was invented
Our ancestors built for eternity
Not for quick clout
Guilds shaped our continent
And work shaped our souls...
Go to Mass today...
November 9, 2025 at 8:01 AM
Go to Mass today...
European have guarded cheese quality for centuries:
France: Roquefort rules since 1411
Netherlands: Gouda cheese inspections since 1395
Italy: Parmigiano-Reggiano consortium from 1612
Switzerland: Gruyère standards from the 1600s
The American mind cannot comprehend this...
France: Roquefort rules since 1411
Netherlands: Gouda cheese inspections since 1395
Italy: Parmigiano-Reggiano consortium from 1612
Switzerland: Gruyère standards from the 1600s
The American mind cannot comprehend this...
November 8, 2025 at 6:57 PM
European have guarded cheese quality for centuries:
France: Roquefort rules since 1411
Netherlands: Gouda cheese inspections since 1395
Italy: Parmigiano-Reggiano consortium from 1612
Switzerland: Gruyère standards from the 1600s
The American mind cannot comprehend this...
France: Roquefort rules since 1411
Netherlands: Gouda cheese inspections since 1395
Italy: Parmigiano-Reggiano consortium from 1612
Switzerland: Gruyère standards from the 1600s
The American mind cannot comprehend this...
Dutch cartographers ruled the seas in the 1600s
Willem Blaeu was one of them
Trained by Tycho Brahe
Appointed as VOC cartographer in 1633
He printed the finest sea atlases of the age
Built globes, instruments, presses, copperplates
And founded the most innovative printing house of its age
Willem Blaeu was one of them
Trained by Tycho Brahe
Appointed as VOC cartographer in 1633
He printed the finest sea atlases of the age
Built globes, instruments, presses, copperplates
And founded the most innovative printing house of its age
November 8, 2025 at 12:57 PM
Dutch cartographers ruled the seas in the 1600s
Willem Blaeu was one of them
Trained by Tycho Brahe
Appointed as VOC cartographer in 1633
He printed the finest sea atlases of the age
Built globes, instruments, presses, copperplates
And founded the most innovative printing house of its age
Willem Blaeu was one of them
Trained by Tycho Brahe
Appointed as VOC cartographer in 1633
He printed the finest sea atlases of the age
Built globes, instruments, presses, copperplates
And founded the most innovative printing house of its age
Dutch Exceptionalism
November 7, 2025 at 1:59 PM
Dutch Exceptionalism
The Dutch invented:
The stock market
Modern banking
The microscope
The submarine
But when you ask a foreigner what they know about the Netherlands, it's:
'Weed'
'Cheese'
'Tolerance'
'Gay rights'
We let @D66 degenerates define our image
Our actual achievements forgotten
The stock market
Modern banking
The microscope
The submarine
But when you ask a foreigner what they know about the Netherlands, it's:
'Weed'
'Cheese'
'Tolerance'
'Gay rights'
We let @D66 degenerates define our image
Our actual achievements forgotten
November 7, 2025 at 11:33 AM
The Dutch invented:
The stock market
Modern banking
The microscope
The submarine
But when you ask a foreigner what they know about the Netherlands, it's:
'Weed'
'Cheese'
'Tolerance'
'Gay rights'
We let @D66 degenerates define our image
Our actual achievements forgotten
The stock market
Modern banking
The microscope
The submarine
But when you ask a foreigner what they know about the Netherlands, it's:
'Weed'
'Cheese'
'Tolerance'
'Gay rights'
We let @D66 degenerates define our image
Our actual achievements forgotten
Today is the feast day of Sint Willibrord, the patron saint of the Netherlands
He's called the apostle of the Netherlands
Founded of the Church in the Lowlands
Was the first bishop of Utrecht
This is his story 🧵
He's called the apostle of the Netherlands
Founded of the Church in the Lowlands
Was the first bishop of Utrecht
This is his story 🧵
November 7, 2025 at 10:01 AM
Today is the feast day of Sint Willibrord, the patron saint of the Netherlands
He's called the apostle of the Netherlands
Founded of the Church in the Lowlands
Was the first bishop of Utrecht
This is his story 🧵
He's called the apostle of the Netherlands
Founded of the Church in the Lowlands
Was the first bishop of Utrecht
This is his story 🧵
Buy more silver, and not just coins.
Silver once defined Dutch civility.
It meant status, ritual, and legacy.
From christening spoons to wedding cutlery.
Silverware is a Dutch tradition.
(Teapots and basket by A. Bonebakker & Zoon)
Silver once defined Dutch civility.
It meant status, ritual, and legacy.
From christening spoons to wedding cutlery.
Silverware is a Dutch tradition.
(Teapots and basket by A. Bonebakker & Zoon)
November 7, 2025 at 8:56 AM
Buy more silver, and not just coins.
Silver once defined Dutch civility.
It meant status, ritual, and legacy.
From christening spoons to wedding cutlery.
Silverware is a Dutch tradition.
(Teapots and basket by A. Bonebakker & Zoon)
Silver once defined Dutch civility.
It meant status, ritual, and legacy.
From christening spoons to wedding cutlery.
Silverware is a Dutch tradition.
(Teapots and basket by A. Bonebakker & Zoon)
Ego vs. order
Theory vs. craft
One built his mindfarts
The other built for the future
x.com/leusinkrobb...
Theory vs. craft
One built his mindfarts
The other built for the future
x.com/leusinkrobb...
November 6, 2025 at 9:58 PM
Ego vs. order
Theory vs. craft
One built his mindfarts
The other built for the future
x.com/leusinkrobb...
Theory vs. craft
One built his mindfarts
The other built for the future
x.com/leusinkrobb...