Gold – What does it mean?

Dr. James Fox in the Bank of England’s Gold Vault, Image Screenshot taken from History of Art in Three Colours: Gold

While it may fluctuate in value on the stock exchange, there is no denying that Gold’s high value is recognised by all across the world but do we ever ask ourselves where this universal value came from?

Last year, a wonderful documentary was released on BBC 4 on the historic value of Gold.  Presented by Dr. James Fox, the Gold episode of History of Art in Three Colours investigates the cultural significance of Gold over time.  The Ancient Egyptians believed it was made of the same matter of the sun and therefore possessed immortal qualities.  The Christians believed it represented divine light.  It wasn’t until the Rennaissance of the 15th Century that Gold became an expression of earthly wealth and power.  As the technique of electroplating Gold onto every day objects in the 19th century was developed, Gold became democratised as a little could spread far, but the value of Gold has never lost its allure.

This interesting and informative documentary is no longer available on BBC’s website but it is available to view on YouTube here. As much as we believe we are experts on Gold, there is always more to learn and its beauty never fades!