PICTURETHIS
THE STORY OF FOLLIES: ARCHITECTURES OF ECCENTRICITY by Celia Fisher (Reaktion £35, 398pp)
IN THE mid-16th century, Vicino Orsini, duke of Bomarzo, decided to turn the woodland below his castle into a ‘Sacred Grove’. The most famous of his follies there is the Orcus, or Hell’s Mouth in Italy (pictured), a gaping entrance where guests would ‘eat, drink and be merry, after being “eaten” by the monster’s mouth’. Originating from the French word for madness — also translating to extravagance or stupidity — defining follies is, according to art historian Celia Fisher, ‘almost as tricky as defining art’. She explores their wonder in this beautifully illustrated and captivating book.