''Tis the season of ostentation' diff viewer (1/2)

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'Tis the season of ostentation	'Tis the season of ostentation
2007-12-04 11:31:06 UTC	2007-12-08 17:01:19 UTC (4 days later)
A POINT OF VIEW By Lisa Jardine	A POINT OF VIEW By Lisa Jardine
An underlying tension persists at Christmas between the charity of the season and its glittering extravagance.	An underlying tension persists at Christmas between the charity of the season and its glittering extravagance.
As I walked through the centre of Cambridge at the beginning of last week, just after dusk, the ancient streets which lead off the Market Square were decked out with a fairytale array of twinkling white lights and kaleidoscope-coloured Christmas ornaments.	As I walked through the centre of Cambridge at the beginning of last week, just after dusk, the ancient streets which lead off the Market Square were decked out with a fairytale array of twinkling white lights and kaleidoscope-coloured Christmas ornaments.
Rounding the bend in Rose Crescent, I met a small boy and his father, coming towards me in the twilight, the child clutching his father's hand, his eyes bright with excitement, craning his neck to see the lights and decorations, and skipping with delight.	Rounding the bend in Rose Crescent, I met a small boy and his father, coming towards me in the twilight, the child clutching his father's hand, his eyes bright with excitement, craning his neck to see the lights and decorations, and skipping with delight.
"But don't you think they are lovely?" he was saying, breathlessly. His father's answer was cautious - he clearly did not want to disappoint: "Yes, I do think so. I just think it's a bit early."	"But don't you think they are lovely?" he was saying, breathlessly. His father's answer was cautious - he clearly did not want to disappoint: "Yes, I do think so. I just think it's a bit early."
It is remarkable how little time it takes for an attractive innovation - perhaps imported from another culture - to become 'traditional' Hear Radio 4's A Point of View I have to confess here that, deep down, I was on the side of the little boy. I love the sense of expectation Christmas lights bring at the onset of the festive season - the sheer magic of the transformation they make.	It is remarkable how little time it takes for an attractive innovation - perhaps imported from another culture - to become 'traditional' Hear Radio 4's A Point of View I have to confess here that, deep down, I was on the side of the little boy. I love the sense of expectation Christmas lights bring at the onset of the festive season - the sheer magic of the transformation they make.
I admit, though, that as far as the commercial hype and high-street shopping goes, Christmas seems to start earlier each year.	I admit, though, that as far as the commercial hype and high-street shopping goes, Christmas seems to start earlier each year.
The Christmas lights were switched on in London's Oxford Street this year on 7 November, the same date, actually, as last year, but a full week earlier than in 2005.	The Christmas lights were switched on in London's Oxford Street this year on 7 November, the same date, actually, as last year, but a full week earlier than in 2005.
This is early even by American standards - in the United States, where commercial interests are notoriously impatient to begin the "festive" (or rather, holiday shopping) season, tradition until recently dictated that Christmas decorations in shops and streets were not put up till after Thanksgiving, on the last Thursday of November.	This is early even by American standards - in the United States, where commercial interests are notoriously impatient to begin the "festive" (or rather, holiday shopping) season, tradition until recently dictated that Christmas decorations in shops and streets were not put up till after Thanksgiving, on the last Thursday of November.
Coca-cola Christmas	Coca-cola Christmas
Tradition is a curious thing. It is remarkable how little time it takes for an attractive innovation - perhaps imported from another culture - to become "traditional".	Tradition is a curious thing. It is remarkable how little time it takes for an attractive innovation - perhaps imported from another culture - to become "traditional".
Take the Christmas tree. Legend has it that Martin Luther began the tradition of decorating trees to celebrate Christmas.	Take the Christmas tree. Legend has it that Martin Luther began the tradition of decorating trees to celebrate Christmas.
One Christmas Eve in the late 1520s, so the story goes, he was walking through snow-covered woods and was struck by the beauty of a group of small fir trees, their branches, dusted with snow. When he got home, he set up a little tree indoors for his family, and decorated it with lighted candles.	One Christmas Eve in the late 1520s, so the story goes, he was walking through snow-covered woods and was struck by the beauty of a group of small fir trees, their branches, dusted with snow. When he got home, he set up a little tree indoors for his family, and decorated it with lighted candles.
The tree is a global traditionWhatever the substance in this story, the Christmas tree only caught on in Britain when the German Prince Albert married the young Queen Victoria in 1840. Christmas trees became the rage after illustrated magazines published a picture of the royal couple and their children grouped around a table-top tree decorated with candles and glass ornaments.	The tree is a global traditionWhatever the substance in this story, the Christmas tree only caught on in Britain when the German Prince Albert married the young Queen Victoria in 1840. Christmas trees became the rage after illustrated magazines published a picture of the royal couple and their children grouped around a table-top tree decorated with candles and glass ornaments.
And because the Christmas tree is only tangentially connected with the Christian Christmas story, it has become a shared festive symbol in cities around the world, and across faiths. In my own childhood home, the decking of the tree with my mother's treasure-trove collection of fragile glass ornaments was one of the high-points in our year, in spite of the fact that our background was Jewish.	And because the Christmas tree is only tangentially connected with the Christian Christmas story, it has become a shared festive symbol in cities around the world, and across faiths. In my own childhood home, the decking of the tree with my mother's treasure-trove collection of fragile glass ornaments was one of the high-points in our year, in spite of the fact that our background was Jewish.
Father Christmas or Santa Claus, such a familiar part of our children's Christmases, is another relatively new tradition. So distinctive is he as a seasonal figure, and so recognisable are his red jacket and trousers with their white edging, his red hat, curly white beard and big black boots, that it is hard to appreciate that in his current incarnation he dates back only to the 20th Century.	Father Christmas or Santa Claus, such a familiar part of our children's Christmases, is another relatively new tradition. So distinctive is he as a seasonal figure, and so recognisable are his red jacket and trousers with their white edging, his red hat, curly white beard and big black boots, that it is hard to appreciate that in his current incarnation he dates back only to the 20th Century.
In Charles Dickens's day, Father Christmas - or the spirit of Christmas - wore dark green, and was garlanded in holly, making more obvious his relationship to the pagan figures from whom he is descended. Santa's red coat and white trim only became traditional in the 1930s.	In Charles Dickens's day, Father Christmas - or the spirit of Christmas - wore dark green, and was garlanded in holly, making more obvious his relationship to the pagan figures from whom he is descended. Santa's red coat and white trim only became traditional in the 1930s.
Ostentation	Ostentation
An executive at Coca-Cola - whose logo was already the familiar red script on a white ground - noted the appropriateness of a depiction of a jolly white-bearded man in a red suit for seasonal advertising, and ran a series of ads featuring him.	An executive at Coca-Cola - whose logo was already the familiar red script on a white ground - noted the appropriateness of a depiction of a jolly white-bearded man in a red suit for seasonal advertising, and ran a series of ads featuring him.
There is a longer history of involvement than we might expect of buying and selling in creating some of the characteristic and comfortingly familiar symbols we associate with the celebration of Christmas.	There is a longer history of involvement than we might expect of buying and selling in creating some of the characteristic and comfortingly familiar symbols we associate with the celebration of Christmas.
Have you ever considered why, on countless Christmas cards, the figure of the Virgin Mary in a familiar Italian Renaissance painting - like the 15th Century Florentine painter Domenico Ghirlandaio's Adoration of the Magi, for instance is invariably depicted dressed in a cloak or robe coloured the deepest blue?	Have you ever considered why, on countless Christmas cards, the figure of the Virgin Mary in a familiar Italian Renaissance painting - like the 15th Century Florentine painter Domenico Ghirlandaio's Adoration of the Magi, for instance is invariably depicted dressed in a cloak or robe coloured the deepest blue?
Expanses of an expensive pigment indicated clearly the generosity of the benefactor Renaissance works of art were intended ostentatiously to advertise the power and wealth of the person or family who commissioned and paid for them. We are no longer attuned to the comparative expense of colour pigments. In the 15th-century, however, all paint hues were not perceived as equal, and the 15th-century viewer's eye would have registered the differences in colour and shade.	Expanses of an expensive pigment indicated clearly the generosity of the benefactor Renaissance works of art were intended ostentatiously to advertise the power and wealth of the person or family who commissioned and paid for them. We are no longer attuned to the comparative expense of colour pigments. In the 15th-century, however, all paint hues were not perceived as equal, and the 15th-century viewer's eye would have registered the differences in colour and shade.
Expanses of an expensive pigment indicated clearly the generosity of the benefactor, as did lavish use of gold leaf for ornaments and halos. And colour influenced composition too: an important figure in a narrative painting, or an important gesture would be coloured with a costly shade of paint by the artist, to draw the onlooker's eye to it.	Expanses of an expensive pigment indicated clearly the generosity of the benefactor, as did lavish use of gold leaf for ornaments and halos. And colour influenced composition too: an important figure in a narrative painting, or an important gesture would be coloured with a costly shade of paint by the artist, to draw the onlooker's eye to it.
Most striking of these expensive colours is ultramarine blue. Ultramarine is a pigment made by grinding the semi-precious oriental stone lapis lazuli and soaking the powder several times to draw off the colour.	Most striking of these expensive colours is ultramarine blue. Ultramarine is a pigment made by grinding the semi-precious oriental stone lapis lazuli and soaking the powder several times to draw off the colour.
The first soaking produced the most intense violet-blue and was the most expensive. Graded use of ultramarines advertised the expense of a work of art.	The first soaking produced the most intense violet-blue and was the most expensive. Graded use of ultramarines advertised the expense of a work of art.
If the Virgin Mary's robe was painted with ultramarine of the quality of two florins to the ounce, then one florin to the ounce ultramarine might do for the robes of the saints who supported her, and this would ensure that no mistake was made too over who was the most important figure in the composition.	If the Virgin Mary's robe was painted with ultramarine of the quality of two florins to the ounce, then one florin to the ounce ultramarine might do for the robes of the saints who supported her, and this would ensure that no mistake was made too over who was the most important figure in the composition.
Affluence	Affluence
When Ghirlandaio was commissioned to paint an Adoration of the Magi by the Prior of the Spedale degli Innocenti in Florence the contract which they both signed specified the materials and their quality meticulously: "The blue must be ultramarine to the value of four florins the ounce; and [the artist] must have made and delivered complete the said panel within thirty months from today; and he shall receive as the price of the panel as here described... 115 florins."	When Ghirlandaio was commissioned to paint an Adoration of the Magi by the Prior of the Spedale degli Innocenti in Florence the contract which they both signed specified the materials and their quality meticulously: "The blue must be ultramarine to the value of four florins the ounce; and [the artist] must have made and delivered complete the said panel within thirty months from today; and he shall receive as the price of the panel as here described... 115 florins."
The painting was completed according to the terms of the contract, in 1488. The Virgin, her baby son perched on her knee cradled in the crook of her left arm, is indeed enveloped in the gorgeous folds of a vivid blue cloak of lapis-lazuli blue, thereby announcing the lavishness of the commission, and the prosperity of the foundation.	The painting was completed according to the terms of the contract, in 1488. The Virgin, her baby son perched on her knee cradled in the crook of her left arm, is indeed enveloped in the gorgeous folds of a vivid blue cloak of lapis-lazuli blue, thereby announcing the lavishness of the commission, and the prosperity of the foundation.
At her feet, a prominent merchant donor kneels in worship, wearing as his badge of affluence a toning coat of deepest blue.	At her feet, a prominent merchant donor kneels in worship, wearing as his badge of affluence a toning coat of deepest blue.
The Spedale degli Innocenti, where Ghirlandaio's Adoration of the Magi still hangs today, is the oldest known charitable organisation devoted continuously to the welfare of children.	The Spedale degli Innocenti, where Ghirlandaio's Adoration of the Magi still hangs today, is the oldest known charitable organisation devoted continuously to the welfare of children.
It was founded by the members of the powerful Florentine Silk Guild, with a bequest of 1,000 florins left by the wealthy merchant Francesco Datini, "to increase the alms and devotions of those who have compassion for the boys and girls called 'throwaways', so that these little children shall be well-fed, educated and disciplined".	It was founded by the members of the powerful Florentine Silk Guild, with a bequest of 1,000 florins left by the wealthy merchant Francesco Datini, "to increase the alms and devotions of those who have compassion for the boys and girls called 'throwaways', so that these little children shall be well-fed, educated and disciplined".
It opened its doors to Florence's foundlings in 1445. Forty years later the Spedale had a staff of 25, caring for 171 vulnerable children. It still houses child welfare services today.	It opened its doors to Florence's foundlings in 1445. Forty years later the Spedale had a staff of 25, caring for 171 vulnerable children. It still houses child welfare services today.
Ultramarine is the Virgin Mary's traditional colourTo the members of the Silk Guild who supported the staff and children of the Spedale financially, there was no contradiction in also spending lavishly on a building by Brunelleschi, and art by Ghirlandaio.	Ultramarine is the Virgin Mary's traditional colourTo the members of the Silk Guild who supported the staff and children of the Spedale financially, there was no contradiction in also spending lavishly on a building by Brunelleschi, and art by Ghirlandaio.
By commissioning a magnificent building "all'antica", with an elegant nine-arched loggia decorated with roundels by Luca della Robia they would, they believed, be demonstrating to the world their wealth, civilised humaneness and generosity.	By commissioning a magnificent building "all'antica", with an elegant nine-arched loggia decorated with roundels by Luca della Robia they would, they believed, be demonstrating to the world their wealth, civilised humaneness and generosity.
Charity and genuine compassion could, for them, go hand in hand with expenditure on what some might regard as unnecessary ostentation. "Alms and devotions" might be lavished on gifts and luxuries as well as on essentials for the poor.	Charity and genuine compassion could, for them, go hand in hand with expenditure on what some might regard as unnecessary ostentation. "Alms and devotions" might be lavished on gifts and luxuries as well as on essentials for the poor.
At the heart of the consumer culture heralded in by the European Renaissance there has always been a tension between generosity that is morally admirable, and decadent extravagance.	At the heart of the consumer culture heralded in by the European Renaissance there has always been a tension between generosity that is morally admirable, and decadent extravagance.
As we enjoy the glittering Christmas lights and the buzz of excitement in our High Street, it is an issue with which we continue to grapple today.	As we enjoy the glittering Christmas lights and the buzz of excitement in our High Street, it is an issue with which we continue to grapple today.