Sugar sculpture
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Sugar sculpture is the art of producing artistic centerpieces, or showpieces, entirely composed of sugar and sugar derivatives. These were very popular at grand feasts from the Renaissance until at le
Roses and leaves made from pulled sugar
Sugar sculpture (1880)
Two elaborate sugar triomfi of goddesses for a dinner given by the Earl of Castlemaine, British Ambassador in Rome, 1687
Making a rose out of pastillage
Conspicuous consumption
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In sociology and in economics, the term conspicuous consumption describes and explains the consumer practice of buying and using goods of a higher quality, price, or in greater quantity than practical
Sugar sculpture
…until at least the 18th century, and sometimes made by famous artists. Sugar was very expensive by modern standards, and sculptures in it a form of conspicuous consumption, reflecting wealth. Today, there are many competitions that include sugar sculpture. Sugar showpieces can be composed of several different types of…
The sociologist and economist Thorstein Veblen coined the term "conspicuous consumption", and was a pioneer of the institutional economics movement.
In the 19th century, the philosopher John Stuart Mill recommended taxing the practice of conspicuous consumption.