A rare, precious material, gold might be described as common insofar as it inspires a common awe amongst its beholders. Here, we trace its lineage in Greek arts.
The abundant treasures of antiquity native to Greece are no great secret, but arguably none are more beautiful than the ornate gold jewellery of the classical civilisation. Fine yet virtually indestructible – these are the qualities that ensure this raw material is, amazingly, quite literally timeless and that we are viewing it exactly as the creator intended. But this only brings on a wealth of questions: who were these craftspeople capable of representing an enduring beauty which we still recognise today? What type of society respected the value of art over the purely functional? What secrets of these people are hidden in the dazzling ridges of the ornaments and figurines?
The picture is clearer in Byzantine art. The typical brilliant golden backgrounds of icons betray their purpose: devotion in all its splendour. It’s not hard to imagine what the artisan values by using this medium: religion, the Church, the Word – but it is an outward devotion. Central to the use of gold is status and importantly, the assurance that a viewer undeniably understands the pious motivations of the benefactor.
Gold as a medium has seen multiple imaginations and re-imaginations, but what remains constant are crafts which represent the stunning intersection between a country rich with precious raw materials and the unbounded skill and creativity of its craftsmen throughout history. It is a lineage that continues today.
