Welcome back to 'Stories in Colour'! And welcome to the first episode of our new miniseries in which we'll be telling the story of a rare, sparkling and glistening colour – or should we say material?
Join Nelly von Aderkas from the National Gallery’s Scientific department and host Beks as they dive into the ancient origins of gold! From colliding supernovas to the tomb of Tutankhamun and the man with the Midas touch, we will be exploring the materiality of gold, where this precious metal comes from and its symbolism in art and literature.
Nelly is a Specialist Scientist and Organic Analyst at the National Gallery with a background in paintings conservation.
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? Find out more about the artworks in this episode:
Duccio, 'The Virgin and Child with Saint Dominic and Saint Aurea, and Patriarchs and Prophets', about 1312-15 (?). The National Gallery, London https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/duccio-the-virgin-and-child-with-saints-dominic-and-aurea
Jacopo di Cione, 'The Crucifixion', about 1369-70. The National Gallery, London https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/jacopo-di-cione-the-crucifixion
'Close up of a gold nugget'. Photo by Marko Ivanov via UnSplash https://unsplash.com/photos/a-close-up-of-a-gold-nugget-eLeXwRx4ALs
'Golden death mask of Tutankhamun', 2005. Photo by Rosemary Calvert via Getty Images https://www.gettyimages.co.uk/detail/photo/golden-death-mask-of-tutankhamun-royalty-free-image/200009494-001?adppopup=true
'Cartonnage Mummy Case', c. 50 BCE–50 CE. The Cleveland Museum of Art https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1914.715
'Coffin of Bakenmut', c. 1000–900 BCE. The Cleveland Museum of Art https://www.clevelandart.org/art/1914.561
Nicolas Poussin, 'Midas Washing at the Source of the Pactolus', ca. 1627. The Metropolitan Museum of Art https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/437328
Jean-François de Troy, 'The Capture of the Golden Fleece', 1742-3. The National Gallery, London https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/jean-francois-de-troy-the-capture-of-the-golden-fleece
Nicolas Poussin, 'The Adoration of the Golden Calf', 1633-4. The National Gallery, London https://www.nationalgallery.org.uk/paintings/nicolas-poussin-the-adoration-of-the-golden-calf
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Further reading:
Discover more on gold in the National Gallery’s collection: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=diJUaHMnazU
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvb2y26xK6Y6T7IfNAc1jMa_zMoX231MX
Find out more about gold in Jacopo di Cione’s 'The Crucifixion': https://artsandculture.google.com/story/4gUB2kjMQI3paA
Find out more about Tutankhamun's Golden Burial Mask: https://gem.eg/en/collection/artefacts/the-golden-burial-mask-of-tutankhamun
Find out more about Tutankhamun's coffins: https://egypt-museum.com/innermost-coffin-of-tutankhamun/
Take a look at Egyptian coffins in the Fitzwilliam Museum: https://egyptiancoffins.org/coffin-catalogue
Cennino Cennini, 'Il libro dell'arte', written late 14th century
Kassia St Clair, 'The Secret Lives of Colour', 2016
J.R.R. Tolkein, 'The Hobbit', 1937
Apollonius Rhodius, 'Argonautica', written around 3rd century BC
[Author unknown], 'Beowulf', [date unknown]
Ovid, 'Metamorphoses', composed around 8th century AD
Stephen Fry, 'Troy: The Greek Myths Reimagined', 2021
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Episode credits:
Guest: Nelly von Aderkas
Host and executive producer: Beks Leary  
Producer: Harry Rosehill  
Researcher: Hannah Rogers  
Technicians: Ian Warren and Timothy Carpenter
Video Producer: Jeanne Kenyon
Video Editor: Alessandro Sorenti
Theme music: Theo Elwell 
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