Gold: Britain's Glorious Riches - A major exhibition of gold works of art and artefacts which vividly tells the story of Britain and Gold

• Friday, 30 July 2010

PRESS RELEASE:
Press Office Contact: Amanda Stücklin
T 020 7367 5913 E Amanda.stucklin@thegoldsmiths.co.uk

Gold: Britain’s Glorious Riches

A major exhibition of gold works of art and artefacts which vividly tells the story of Britain and Gold

Goldsmiths’ Hall

Friday June 1st to Saturday July 28th, 2012

ADMISSION FREE

GOLD - the most highly prized of all the world’s precious metals, is the subject of a major exhibition at Goldsmiths’ Hall in the summer of 2012.

Entitled Gold: Britain’s Glorious Riches, the exhibition tells the story of gold with particular reference to Britain – from Cornish gold dust to precious golden treasures.

Throughout history gold has captivated civilisations and inspired legends across the globe, constantly remaining an iconic symbol of enduring wealth, coveted for its rarity and mesmerising rich colour. Although gold is one of the most ancient of metals known to man, the role of Britain in this global story has been seldom told until now.

Dr Helen Clifford, the exhibition curator, has sought to focus on Britain’s involvement with gold. She explains: “As a trading nation, a centre of inventions and an ambitious empire, gold has long been vital to this country’s existence. Not just as an exploitable ore but as a symbol of power, a medium of exchange and an inspiration for masterpieces of craftsmanship.”

The exhibition explores and demonstrates various themes relating to Britain’s relationship with gold, starting with the metal itself, its intrinsic properties and more romantically its associated magic, mystery and potency. Other themes include the sources of gold in Britain and the burials and hoards of gold antiquities which have been discovered. One of the earliest pieces in the exhibition is a gold lunula, a distinctive type of Bronze Age necklace shaped like a crescent moon, dating from 2300-2000 BC which was found in Cornwall.

Not surprisingly with Britain as a major trading nation gold was used as an international currency and gold coins from all over the world found their way into the country via complex trading networks and movements of people. Likewise as the British Empire grew, the work of merchants, missionaries, aristocrats, scholars, antiquarians, archaeologists and ambitious army officers ensured a rich influx of golden treasures from all corners of the world. Highly collected these treasures include a number of exquisite and extraordinary works in gold which have found there way into British collections.

Since time immemorial gold has been a symbol of the divine and has long been used in religion – for example as gold chalices, reliquaries or as gold thread woven into religious cloth. Similarly it features in the rituals of life celebrating births, marriages and even deaths, as well as success in society and as a suitable material for objects which are so necessary in the theatre of royalty. Gold has also played an important role in the rituals of dining and as well as interior decoration.

The art of embroidery using metal threads, known as goldwork, has been much used in fashion for both men and women and reached its zenith in the 17th century. For the wealthy fashionista of the time a coat or item of clothing embroidered with gold thread was de rigueur!

Not surprisingly, due to its constantly high intrinsic value and cultural status, gold has long been seen as the ultimate gift, reward for service or symbol of office. Exquisite gold boxes, military batons, medals, impressive chains of office and chivalry and numerous golden artefacts provide visual evidence of gold’s many uses.

Gold has also been associated with sporting success, most notably in the realm of horse racing, considered to be the “sport of kings”. And as the exhibition takes place in the year that London hosts the 2012 Olympic Games there will be a number of golden trophies and medals in connection with sporting prowess and achievements.

Today in the 21st century, British goldsmiths are still producing gold artefacts, combining ancient goldsmithing skills with modern technologies and proving that, thousands of years later, the desire and stimulus for gold has not diminished.

This outstanding exhibition at Goldsmiths’ Hall illustrates all these fascinating themes with a wealth of rare and beautiful gold objects, from both private and public collections around the country.

This is a one-off exhibition and the Goldsmiths’ Company is proud to be staging such a major and unique showing of gold treasures in the year that HM The Queen celebrates her Diamond Jubilee and London hosts the 2012 Olympic Games.

INTERESTING GOLD FACTS

Gold was one of the very first metals to be discovered by man, around seven thousand years ago.

All the gold that has ever been mined would only make a block 20 meters cubed - roughly the equivalent of two Olympic swimming pools.

The total amount of gold poured since the beginning of recorded history is less than the amount of steel poured every hour.

A single gram of gold can be beaten into a sheet of one square meter.

The Goldsmiths’ Company has been testing English gold on the same site since 1327.

The Amesbury Archer Basket Earrings are the oldest examples of gold found in this country, dating back to as early as 2,470BC.

The earliest surviving piece of secular English gold is the British Museum’s Stapleford gold Acorn Cup circa 1610.

All Royal wedding rings are made from Welsh gold.

The Queen has a gold quill pen with which she signed the wedding register.

In 1797 the third Duke of Portland commissioned a solid gold font from the workshop of Paul Storr for the baptism of his grandson.

Have you heard of the Scottish gold rush in Kildonan 1869?

As an example of 18th century decadence - the famous William Beckford owned a solid gold toasting fork.

Only four Olympiads have used solid gold medals: Paris 1900, St Louis 1904, London 1908 and Stockholm 1912.

The South Crofty mine, near Camborne, Cornwall, has recently started to drill for gold again and is thought to have richer gold deposits than some of the major mines in California.

NOTES TO EDITORS:

Gold: Britain’s Glorious Riches
Friday June 1st to Saturday July 28th, 2012

A programme of events including a symposium and other related activities is being developed by the Goldsmiths’ Company including an exciting “Gold trail” involving other major galleries and venues across the country.

An associated book will also be published.

Further details will be announced in due course.

Photo-credit: World Gold Council www.gold.org

Venue: Goldsmiths’ Hall, Foster Lane, London EC2V 6BN
Admission: Free
Opening times: Monday to Saturday 10am to 5pm
Underground Stations: St Paul’s, Mansion House, Barbican
Buses: 8, 11, 25, 100, 242, 56

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