There is still time to see the two fascinating shows at The Queen’s Gallery, Buckingham Palace, London SW1, until 22nd February 2015. Here is the second one.
Gold
Design for the Gold State Coach, Sir William Chambers and Giovanni Battista Cipriani, 1760
Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015
This is perhaps an appropriate subject for an exhibition held in a royal palace especially as gold has been regarded as a symbol of status, whether temporal or ecclesiastical, in most cultures across the millennia. You will encounter the Bronze Age Rillaton gold cup, a pre-Inca gold crown from Ecuador and a tiger’s head from the throne of the Indian ruler Tipu Sultan (1785–93) and objects associated with the coronation of British monarchs.
Rillaton gold cup, c.1700 – 1500 BC
Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015
Gold has been used in many ways as these items from the Royal Collection confirm; gold boxes, fans, plate and ornaments, paintings, books, illuminated manuscripts, jewellery and of course the gilding of furniture and frames.
Opening shamsa (sunburst) from the Padshahnama, c.1656-7
Royal Collection Trust / © Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015
While you may think that it would be an over-the-top exhibition it is instead a totally absorbing and elegant look at the allure this precious metal casts upon the human psyche.
Tim Forrest's E & A 