" Satan wasn't trying to tempt Jesus into desiring something beautiful. "
What I found interesting was that the Devil claimed ownership of all the authority and glory (read beauty) of the kingdoms of the world, that he could give it to whoever he wanted - and Jesus did not contradict him.
So? He's a liar, and the father of lies ... the first sin (if one were to sin in response to that particular temptation) would be to think that satan actually had that ownership, and the authority to give it to anyone.
Indeed, we know that all authority (whether used rightly or abused) comes from God.
From the Holy Gospel, according to St. John:
19:7 The Jews answered him, We have a law, and by our law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.
19:8 When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he was the more afraid;
19:9 And went again into the judgment hall, and saith unto Jesus, Whence art thou? But Jesus gave him no answer.
19:10 Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou not that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee?
19:11 Jesus answered, Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin.
19:12 And from thenceforth Pilate sought to release him: but the Jews cried out, saying, If thou let this man go, thou art not Caesar's friend: whosoever maketh himself a king speaketh against Caesar.
Is glory "beauty"? Beauty has so many definitions, I think this is a silly point to argue.
Do you think a sunset is beautful? A snow-capped mountain range? Do you thank God for creating such natural beauty? Is that paganistic? Is gold beautiful? Silver? Gems? All natural and all created by God. Are paintings beautiful? Some are. Some aren't. Paintings created to glorify God are beautiful. So too, statues created to glorify God are beautiful.
Is the stick figure drawing a child creates for you beautiful? Absolutely. It's not great art in the popular sense. It's nothing you'll see in the Louvre. But it's beautiful because a child has chosen to glorify you with his/her limited abilities. Mankind can't BEGIN to reach the kind of beauty God has awaiting us (Lord willing) in Heaven. The paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel may be nothing more than stick figures to God, but they are also beautiful in His eyes because they were created to give him glory, not unlike the child and his crude drawing tacked to your refrigerator at home.
Begrudging the 'opulence' of the Sistine Chapel is akin to telling your nephew his refrigerator artwork sucks and a waste of time when he could have been doing his homework instead.