Ohmifuckinggod.

Found out what the scaffolding is for. He’s replacing the White House Ionic column capitals with curlicue Corinthian column toppers because that’s what the fucking vandal has at Mar a Lardo.

As a one-time art historian, this hurts me at a cellular level.

Here’s an explainer as to why this is fucked up on so many levels.

The White House is one of the world’s finest neoclassical buildings. It is iconic in an architectural sense.

Yes, for Americans, it’s the People’s House, and the current resident should be consulting the landlords before fucking with it. But it is also priceless global heritage. What he is doing is destroying it.

There are three forms of column capital that came out of Ancient Greece, and they are all associated with different periods.

The Doric - which is the plain, square topped capital that was the earliest form.

The Ionic, with the spiral ends, which was associated with the Classical period, and is what’s used in the White House portico now.

And the Corinthian, which is made up of acanthus leaves and is linked to the Hellenistic Period; the final period of Ancient Greek culture.

The Classical period is regarded as the high point of Greek art and architecture. It’s why it was emulated and venerated in the Renaissance and beyond - including the 18th century so-called Neoclassical period, of which the White House is one of the world’s finest architectural examples.

The White House architects chose the Ionic capital because it represents restraint and balance.

The Corinthian capital, and the Hellenistic period it stands for, is a model of excess and garish ornamentation by comparison.

Little wonder the Great Fatsby went with that.

But here’s the kicker - the Hellenistic period and the Corinthian capital are associated with the decline and decadence of Ancient Greece.

So, actually… spot on.