Monday 6 August 2012

The colour gold

The most alluring? The most beguiling?
A timeless obsession with all things gol. We use it to represent all things sacred.
Honouring gods and kings and queens.
Techniques that craftsmen have used - fine arts and dark arts.
How has the consumer age conditioned gold to be merely a means to buy and sell.
And then it is also of divine status.

When did humans first take gold from the Earth?
It must have been sucha glorious wonder at what they saw.

It is easy to fall in love with it. It looks radiant and warm and it's yellowness.
The only thing that looked anything like gold and that was the sun. People thought they were one and the same at one time
A golden sun disc 2000 bc. 800bc piece of jewellry.
And exhibited at the National Museum of Denmark a sun chariot
3500 bc - in int condition. A bronze horse wth ears pricked. Standing on 4 wheels dragging a great big sun disc behind it.
Elders of the community, the priests, would haul the chariot around to signify the importance of the sun.
An explicit connection between the colour of gold and the co,our of the sun
Both have sparkle and brilliant yellowness.
Like the sun gold still shines despite the number of years that pass.

One civilisation was identified with golden treasures like no other.
Ancient Egyptians. They were unique
Whilst many countrie had to trade or barter or hunt gold in far off lands. In Egypt they found gold everywhere.
Their territory was littered with seemingly abundant supplies of gold.
The Egyptians were very good at extracting the gold - day and night. And tehy became the worlds first gold mining estate.
But to understand the qxquisite gold works it is essential to head south - Sukara
Head of some of the toldest tombs.

Relief carvings depict the gold workings from beginning to end
Even though there were enormous aounts of gold available.
Remarkable relief carvings - hyroglyphs talks about the beauty of gold.

Remarkable ting about some of the images - all 4 goldsmiths were dearfs. All across the country dwarfs were gold workers. As it was believed all dwarves were gold diggers.

20th Century - Howard Carter was a maverick in search of gold. He discovered the tomb of Tut Ankh Ahmun.
"So gorgeous was the sight that met out eyes. Everywhere the glint of gold"

The treasures were never intended to be seen by humans. But Carter colected everyting and sent it to the museum in Cairo. A throne, jewellry of every sott.
The sarcohpagus was solid gold.  The death mask in sold gold 11kg is the most tresured and exquisite piece of work. Enladen with lapis carmellion obsidian and quarts.
A tender porttrait of the man.

Why is the mask in gold? Whay the coffins, the shrines almost everyting in this tomb in gold?

He needed to impress nobody. But he believed that gol had magiccal properties. It is believed that some of the eternity may rub off on Tut Ankh Amun.
The desire to honour the sun god pushed the Egyptians to the hardest building crafts.
Theycontinued to use gold to reveal teh divine.

As the ancient world changed gold would be exchanged. Via Rome, the scene of the revolution. All pagan gods were banished and replaced with a single creator.
312AD the roman emperor Constantine converted to Christianity. His new religion spread to the poor an the needy.
Christianity unoriginal in many ways except it's distate for wealth, ostentious display.
Chrost is shown as the first poor God in history. But within a few centuries stargame things happened - a new art form showing how early Christians who once renounced God now couldn't resist its draw.
Early in the days of Christianity - so much gold and yet criticised the way in which people were seduced by gold.
Gold is represnting not material things but immaterial things.
Aidan Hart - icon painting kept alive. Steeped in the mysteries of golden art.

Life with God is dynamic not static. So the paintings were supposed to be seen by candlelight and then the colour of the gold is transformed from murky brown to shimmering yellowness. It even seems to ance, responding and reflecting the light in a stunning way. No other colour reflected or shimmered like gold.
Golden light of icon paintings was intoxicating. Christians yearned to have more of it.
The Romans wanted to be fully immersed in the golden light of heaven
6th century AD 0 full immersion into the divine light of heaven
Basicalla designed in 6000BC. A master piece of early Christian art.
The walls are encrusted with gold. But this gold is applied with one of the great inventions of byzantine age.
Goldtespera. 10's of 1000' of them
Trapping all the light it emphasises the way in which his wife will take the coolness.

Early Christians used the colour ingeoulsy despite having reounced gold in the past.
IN the Renaiisance heaven lost it's monopoly in gold becomong a more loyal party after a call from the frien in autralia
Trusted courtiers were given gold. And it represented power, politcs and something else I couldn't here.
Florence - in the Renaissance it was a great centre for gold work.
They sold their wares to the rich in Europe. Most hoped to get their hands on Benvenuto Cellini
He wanted to be an artist and forced his way into the uni's.
Celloini became the gretest goldsmith of them all.
HIs writings are a bible to the goldsmith's report.

Paolo Pnco was follwing the teachings of Cellini since a littel boy.
I'm tied and need to sleep. Aftercare toomorrow - horray!!!!!!!

Bliss
XX

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