Pineapple Follies

John Murray, 4th Earl of Dunmore, had his pineapple folly...

Above, Dunmore (who was the last governor of colonial Williamsburg, Virginia) built his pineapple folly in 1761, in Dunmore Park, Scotland. A larger scale version of the sailor's tradition of leaving a pineapple on the door stoop to mark a safe return home, Dunmore's pineapple measures 37 feet. Pineapples were indeed grown on the grounds, with heated hot-houses.

And so, I have mine...

Outdone by the Earl of Dunmore? Possibly. Rather unfortunately, my centerpiece is nowhere near 37 feet tall. Nor can I live inside of it. What I can assure you is that the painted mass of artichokes, pineapples, (nude) eggplants, flowers, and beaded ornaments will probably work its way onto the table as a centerpiece at some point during this holiday season!

OH! And before I forget, in a list of links for readers to check out, Eater cited (IN)DECOROUS TASTE'S jacquard chicken as "The nastiest looking (and fanciest) chicken of all time." Nastiest???!?! And the title of the post? I believe it involved the phrase "Ludicrous Chicken."

Image of Dunmore house, via Wikipedia Commons. Centerpiece, including chinoiserie bird motif backdrop and console, created, painted, and photographed by (IN)DECOROUS TASTE.

Wednesdays with Wackos

Eben-Ezer Tower, Belgium.

In accordance with the ongoing fascination I have with eccentrics and people that otherwise show no inclination towards self-censorships and instead tend toward indulgence, (although this may be an understatement), I present you my first addition of "Wednesdays with Wackos." Loveable wackos, to be sure. This week, we have a little architectural folly constructed by Robert Garcet in the 60s, located in Bassange, Belgium.

Let's see what we're dealing with:
-Four horsemen of the apocalypse
-Sitting atop a tower built by a self-declared pacifist obsessed with biblical numerology (think number grids that add up to "666" in all directions... you get the picture)
-Situated on an ancient, and ENORMOUS, labyrinth of tunnels that may or may not have at one time existed as an entire city.

I love people who take it upon themselves to materialize their own fantasies. Even if those manifest themselves as a dungeons and dragons plot.

And, as a sidenote: Will you look at the sheer SIZE of those four horsemen in relation to the tower itself?! Amazing.