I am very moved by one detail
in the coronation at Vlachernai of John Kantakuzinos
and Irini, daughter of Andronikos Asan.
Because they had only a few precious stones
(our afflicted empire was extremely poor)
they wore artificial ones: numerous pieces of glass,
red, green, or blue. I find
nothing humiliating or undignified
in those little pieces of colored glass.
On the contrary, they seem
a sad protest against
the unjust misfortune of the couple being crowned,
symbols of what they deserved to have,
of what surely it was right that they should have
at their coronation—a Lord John Kantakuzinos,
a Lady Irini, daughter of Andronikos Asan.

C.P. Cavafy

The accepted standard of expenditure in the community or in the class to which a person belongs largely determines what his standard of living will be. It does this directly by commending itself to his common sense as right and good, through his habitually contemplating it and assimilating the scheme of life in which it belongs; but it does so also indirectly through popular insistence on conformity to the accepted scale of expenditure as a matter of propriety, under pain of disesteem and ostracism. To accept and practice the standard of living which is in vogue is both agreeable and expedient, commonly to the point of being indispensable to personal comfort and to success in life. The standard of living in any class, so far as concerns the element of conspicuous waste, is commonly as high as the earning capacity of the class will permit—with a constant tendency to go even higher. The effect upon the serious activities of men is therefore to direct them with great singleness of purpose to the largest possible acquisition of wealth, and to discountenance work that brings no pecuniary gain. At the same time the effect on consumption is to concentrate it upon the lines which are most evident to the observers whose good opinion is sought; while the inclinations and aptitudes whose exercise does not involve an honorific expenditure of time or substance tends to fall into abeyance through disuse.

Thorstein Veblen,  The Theory of the Leisure Class, pp. 39-40

This celebratory aspect of Neo-Baroque is perhaps most clearly reflected in its luxuriant color. Aglow with candy hues, Neo-Baroquists can barely contain their raucous limes, yellows, blues, and pinks. Added to the melee are such audacious materials as Angelo Filomeno’s taxidermied peacocks, vomiting faceted garnets into pools of blood-red glass, and crystal-encrusted, iridescent silk embroideries…..Refined, minimalist taste has been resolutely banished. Late twentieth century’s visually spare, conceptual inquiry led to a ravenous hunger for something to look at and revel in again. Neo-Baroque feeds this sensory void. Tantalizing, it is intended for consumption first by the senses, then by the intellect.

Joyce Korotkin in tema celeste contemporary art, July/August 2004.