Portrait of Girolamo Savonarola, circa 1497-1498

On this day in 1497, Dominican friar Girolamo Savonarola and his supporters burned thousands of objects that were condemned as sinful. This included mirrors, cosmetics, fine clothing, playing cards, musical instruments, books, paintings and sculpture.

This was the best known, but not the only, or even the first such burning. They were known in Italian as falò delle vanità, or bonfire of the vanities.