Obscure treasures of the Vatican

[Subpopulus Hibernia]

One for the scaffolding connoisseurs. An excellent example of late Baroque scaffolding techniques.

 

[langcliffe]

Nice, but I suspect that gold scaffolding might be a bit bendy for our purposes.

 

[Subpopulus Hibernia]

Nice, but I suspect that gold scaffolding might be a bit bendy for our purposes.

Tis gilded. With the blessed molten gold tears of St Polycarp of Smyrna.

 

[langcliffe]

Tis gilded. With the blessed molten gold tears of St Polycarp of Smyrna.

 

[Roger W]

That wouldn't be the famous holy poteen still of St Wotsisname, would it?

 

[crickleymal]

That it would be sir. Fed by the holy spuds of St Patrick and fueled by the dung of the papal bull.

 

[braveduck]

I hope that Gold is leaf and not paint!
That black smoke to night would get you a hefty fine round these parts.

 

[Joe Duxbury]

The Sistine Chapel has been infiltrated! That's not a furnace, it's a dalek in disguise. When it's exterminated all the cardinals, it'll be the only being left ...

 

[graham]

The Sistine Chapel has been infiltrated! That's not a furnace, it's a dalek in disguise. When it's exterminated all the cardinals, it'll be the only being left ...

Davros as pope? Could be an improvement.

 

[grahams]

The Sistine Chapel has been infiltrated! That's not a furnace, it's a dalek in disguise. When it's exterminated all the cardinals, it'll be the only being left ...

Davros as pope? Could be an improvement.

Perfect. The weaponry is perfect. Now, we can begin. Excommunicate! excommunicate! EXCOMMUNICATE!

 

[Penguin]

Getting all religious in Deep Pot On Largy..

 

[Burt]

Is one stove for the white smoke and one for the black? Or is it just too chilly for one alone?

 

[Subpopulus Hibernia]

Is one stove for the white smoke and one for the black? Or is it just too chilly for one alone?

One is for burning ballots and making cheese and ham toasties. The other chemically produces smoke that's either black or white so that it's quite clear what the colour is. There used to be problems with all the smoke looking grey and then everyone would get confused and upset.

From the Vatican itself:

For a black smoke the chemical compound is made of potassium perchlorate, anthracene, and sulphur. The white smoke is a mixture of potassium chlorate, lactose, and rosin. The rosin is a natural amber resin obtained from conifers. Prior to 2005 the black smoke was obtained by using smoke black or pitch and the white smoke by using wet straw.