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This is the BBC Television Service.
We now present another programme
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in our series of experimental
transmissions in colour.
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We live in a Kaleidoscopic world...
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..but colours are more
than mere decoration.
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00:00:20,520 --> 00:00:25,440
Colours carry deep and significant
meanings for us all...
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..and in this series
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I want to unravel the stories
of three colours...
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..three colours which in the hands
of artists have stirred
our emotions,
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changed the way we behave
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and even altered
the course of history.
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Blue -
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00:00:48,480 --> 00:00:52,480
the arrival of Lapis Lazuli
from the East made blue
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the colour of our dreams...
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..a colour that's transported us
to worlds beyond our horizons.
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White,
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once the virtuous colour
of ancient marbles,
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came to embody
our darkest instincts.
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But in this programme,
I want to tell the story of a colour
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we've worshipped
since the very beginning -
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one that at first may not
seem like a colour at all.
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So this is the gold vault
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beneath the Bank of England.
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And in this room
there are about 65,000 bars
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of solid gold
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and each one of them is worth
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almost half a million pounds,
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and I just can't resist
picking one up.
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The first thing you notice
is the weight -
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it's extraordinarily heavy.
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And you can see
on the front there
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it's 99.99% pure gold.
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I really don't think I've ever
held anything
so valuable in my hands before.
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But gold has another quality too -
its colour,
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this glorious, radiant yellowness.
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And I think this colour
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is one of the most alluring
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and beguiling colours of them all.
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This is a tale of our timeless
obsession with all things golden.
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Across the millennia,
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we have used gold to revere
the things we've held most sacred.
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00:02:44,400 --> 00:02:49,800
And reflected in our works of art,
we see the story of ourselves
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and our changing beliefs
and perceptions.
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I'm aware I'm playing with colour.
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Not just with words,
but I'm playing with colour.
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'From honouring our ancient Gods...
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'..to the worldly Kings and Queens
of the Renaissance,
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'we'll reveal the techniques
which craftsmen have used.'
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Look at that.
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'From the fine arts of icon painting
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'to the darks arts of alchemy...
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00:03:22,360 --> 00:03:26,760
So this was a desperate time for him.
He had to think about how to escape
with his life.
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00:03:29,000 --> 00:03:31,040
'..we'll see how
in the consumer age,
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'gold came to represent
little more than wealth itself
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'and we'll see how one painter
attempted
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'to restore the colour of gold
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'to divine status.'
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Nobody knows when humans
first took gold from the earth.
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We can only imagine their wonder
at what they saw.
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This is perhaps
what gold looked like
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when humans first set eyes on it
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00:04:25,160 --> 00:04:29,160
and you can see why they fell
in love with it almost immediately,
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not because of its rarity because
they didn't know it was rare,
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and not because of its versatility
because they didn't know
what it could do.
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They fell in love with it
because of the way it looked -
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its wonderful, radiant,
warm yellowness.
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And there was only one thing
in the universe that looked
anything like this substance
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and that was the sun.
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Ancient people came to believe
that gold and the sun were one
and the same,
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so when they honoured the sun,
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only the colour of gold
would suffice.
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A golden sun disc, 2000 BC...
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..a ceremonial necklace, 800 BC,
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and the most remarkable of all,
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a sun chariot from 1500 BC -
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now the star exhibit
at the National Museum of Denmark.
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This is one of the most
remarkable things I've ever seen
in a museum.
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It's utterly breathtaking.
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Because what we have here
is essentially
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a 3,500-year-old
miniature model chariot
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in virtually mint condition.
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I can see there's this utterly
delightful bronze horse
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with its ears
pricked up attentively,
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and it's standing on
these four wheels
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and dragging
this great disc behind it
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and that disc is the sun.
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For the people who made this,
the sun was a great, golden goddess
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that was being carried
by this divine horse every day
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across the sky from east
to west and back again at night.
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It is believed the elders
of the community, the priests,
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would pull it around back and forth
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to teach people the importance
of the sun.
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It's decorated with all
these exquisite patterns
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that represent the radiating rays
of the sun,
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the pulsating light,
and it's movement through the years.
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It's an explicit connection
between the colour of gold
and the colour of the sun -
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both of them have this
warm, radiant yellowness,
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both have this terrific sparkle,
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and both of them have
this eternal shine,
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because 3,500 years later
everything else has deteriorated
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but the gold on this disc
like the sun outside this room
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is still shining.
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The desire to honour the sun with
gold is as old as civilisation
itself.
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But one civilisation
would come to be identified
with golden treasures like no other.
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00:08:03,200 --> 00:08:05,200
The ancient Egyptians were unique.
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00:08:11,160 --> 00:08:15,240
While many cultures had
to hunt down gold in far-off lands,
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trade or barter for it...
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..here in North East Africa,
the Egyptians found gold everywhere.
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Now the ancient Egyptians
were very, very lucky.
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Their territory was blessed with
seemingly unlimited reserves
of gold.
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There were hundreds of deposits
dotted all over the place.
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The richest of these deposits
were here in these mountains
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of the Eastern Desert and here,
farther south into Sudan and Nubia,
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and what's more, the Egyptians were
very good at extracting that gold.
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They had huge teams of men
working day in, day out
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bringing out of the earth.
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For that reason,
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Egypt quickly became the world's
first great gold-producing state.
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But to understand the exquisite
gold work in ancient Egypt,
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we have to leave Cairo
and head south into the desert.
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This is Saqqara, home to some
of the oldest tombs in Egypt.
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And here is some remarkable
evidence of the reverence
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the Egyptians
had for their goldsmiths.
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4,000 years ago,
the grand vizier, Mereruka,
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was interred in these chambers.
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In life, he was entrusted
with the production
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and protection of Egypt's gold.
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And carved onto
the walls of his tomb,
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are depictions
of his invaluable work.
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These relief carvings depict the
entire Egyptian gold-making process
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from start,
all the way to finish.
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The first step is recorded here
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and this involves
the weighing of the gold.
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What I find interesting
about that,
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is the Egyptians had plentiful
quantities of gold
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and yet still it was so valuable
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that the pharaoh didn't want even
a single little bit unaccounted for.
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But the two most remarkable images,
I think, in this entire relief,
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are these two here.
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I think they're remarkable
for two reasons.
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First, the hieroglyphs,
you can see there and there.
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Usually, we presume
ancient hieroglyphs
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to impart some solemn wisdom
but not these ones,
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because this man is saying to that
man, "Oh, isn't this beautiful?"
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This man is saying to that guy,
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"Get a move on with your work,
slowcoach."
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It's just an amazing moment,
an amazing moment of humour
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and life and reality
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from thousands of years ago.
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But the other remarkable
thing about these images here,
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is all four goldsmiths are dwarfs.
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All across ancient Egypt,
dwarfs are depicted as gold workers
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because they were actually
perceived by ancient Egyptians
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as possessing magical powers.
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So it seems utterly logical
that who would you get to work
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with your most precious
and special material?
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You would get your most precious
and special people.
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For millennia, the great creations
of these goldsmiths
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were mostly lost to view.
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They were melted down
by grave robbers
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or simply lay undiscovered
deep beneath the sands.
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But in the 20th century,
one British archaeologist
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was determined to bring them
to light.
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Howard Carter was a maverick who had
come to Egypt in search of gold.
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It was he who made the greatest
archaeological discovery
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of all time.
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On 26th November 1922,
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Carter broke into the tomb
of Tutankhamen.
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A gasp of wonderment
escaped our lips,
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so gorgeous was the sight
that met our eyes...
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..everywhere, the glint of gold.
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The golden treasures of Tutankhamen
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were never intended to be seen
by human eyes,
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but Carter removed them
from their resting place
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and bundled them off
to the Egyptian museum in Cairo.
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The hoard contained Tutankhamen's
throne, jewellery of every sort,
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golden slippers
and this huge sarcophagus.
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It contains 110kg of solid gold
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and is the largest gold object
ever found in Egypt.
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But the most astounding treasure
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made by the ancient Egyptians,
is this -
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the death mask of Tutankhamen.
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It's in solid gold, of course,
11 kilograms of it
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00:14:28,640 --> 00:14:33,840
and this mask would have sat right
on top of the dead pharaoh's face.
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The craftsmanship is exquisite.
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The gold is inlaid with precious
stones, lapis, feldspar
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and carnelian and the eyes modelled
with obsidian and quartz.
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It's a surprisingly tender portrait
of the man, actually,
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because he's got these big ears
and fleshy lips
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and these wide innocent eyes
that are painted pink in the corners
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just to bring them to life.
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But the question for me
is why is this mask in gold?
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Why were the coffins in gold?
Why were the shrines in gold?
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Why was almost everything
in Tutankhamen's tomb in gold?
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Well, I don't think this
is a statement of wealth,
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no matter what we think
about gold today,
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because the dead Tutankhamen
certainly needed to impress no-one.
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It's in gold because he believed,
just like his contemporaries,
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00:15:36,000 --> 00:15:40,000
that gold had magical powers.
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And think about it - here is
a substance that has the same colour
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as the all-powerful sun,
it never tarnishes, never corrodes,
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never rusts,
it shines for eternity.
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I think Tutankhamen was hoping
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that some of that might just
rub off on him,
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it might bring him back to life,
give him a little bit of eternity
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00:15:58,920 --> 00:16:04,320
and transform him into an eternal
invincible, immortal sun god
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in his own right.
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00:16:13,240 --> 00:16:17,360
The desire to honour the sun god
had pushed the Egyptians
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to the greatest heights
of craftsmanship.
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And the ancient civilisations
that followed
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continued to use gold
to reveal the divine.
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00:16:33,520 --> 00:16:38,960
This Etruscan broach
depicts a fabled chimera...
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..the face of the Greek Goddess
shimmers in gold...
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00:16:49,320 --> 00:16:53,960
..and this mythical serpent
coils to form a Roman armlet.
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00:17:02,720 --> 00:17:06,760
But as twilight fell
on the ancient world,
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00:17:06,760 --> 00:17:08,840
new ideas emerged.
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00:17:08,840 --> 00:17:13,080
They demanded we suppress
our reverence for gold
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and they would have profound
implications for art.
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00:17:23,320 --> 00:17:25,480
Rome -
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this was the scene
of the revolution,
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00:17:28,520 --> 00:17:32,160
when all pagan gods were banished
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and replaced with a single creator.
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00:17:57,200 --> 00:18:03,440
It was 312 AD when the Roman Emperor
Constantine saw the light.
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00:18:07,400 --> 00:18:09,560
For a rich and powerful ruler,
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his conversion to Christianity
was little short of a miracle...
225
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..because his new religion
spoke directly to the poor
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and to the needy.
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00:18:25,600 --> 00:18:28,880
Christianity was unoriginal
in many ways
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but the one really new idea it had
was its distaste for wealth,
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00:18:34,560 --> 00:18:39,200
for extravagance
and for ostentatious display.
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00:18:39,200 --> 00:18:43,280
Indeed, passage after passage
in the Bible condemns those
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who are seduced by worldly
luxuries like gold.
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00:18:48,080 --> 00:18:52,400
And in fact, it even declares
that it would be easier for a camel
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to pass through the eye of a needle
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00:18:54,680 --> 00:18:57,280
than for a rich man
to get into heaven.
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00:19:02,360 --> 00:19:08,040
And thus, in the earliest Christian
art, Christ is shown as perhaps
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00:19:08,040 --> 00:19:13,920
the first poor god in history -
a modest and humble shepherd.
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00:19:17,200 --> 00:19:20,240
But within just a few centuries,
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00:19:20,240 --> 00:19:24,400
something strange
started to happen.
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00:19:24,400 --> 00:19:28,960
Across the Christian world,
a new art form emerged
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00:19:28,960 --> 00:19:33,640
that showed how early Christians
who had once renounced gold
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00:19:33,640 --> 00:19:37,720
now couldn't resist its allure.
242
00:19:39,080 --> 00:19:42,800
This is a Byzantine icon
243
00:19:42,800 --> 00:19:46,240
and images like this were produced
as early as the 5th century
244
00:19:46,240 --> 00:19:50,320
so really, really early
in the history of Christianity.
245
00:19:50,320 --> 00:19:54,960
But, you know,
what really surprises me about this
246
00:19:54,960 --> 00:19:57,920
is how much gold there is on it.
247
00:19:57,920 --> 00:20:01,480
Christianity, after all,
constantly criticised people
248
00:20:01,480 --> 00:20:05,040
for being seduced
by material wealth.
249
00:20:05,040 --> 00:20:08,400
So why would this artist
deem it appropriate
250
00:20:08,400 --> 00:20:12,240
to put so much gold
on this painting?
251
00:20:12,240 --> 00:20:20,120
I think the reason is that gold here
is representing not material things,
252
00:20:20,120 --> 00:20:23,680
it's actually there to represent
immaterial things.
253
00:20:23,680 --> 00:20:26,640
It's perhaps the most immaterial
thing of them all.
254
00:20:33,760 --> 00:20:36,520
Aidan Hart is an artist
255
00:20:36,520 --> 00:20:42,480
who keeps the tradition
of icon painting alive
256
00:20:42,480 --> 00:20:46,960
and he's steeped in the mysteries
of gold in Christian art.
257
00:20:51,240 --> 00:20:55,000
I pray, of course, first,
and then while I'm painting,
258
00:20:55,000 --> 00:20:57,120
it's always a sort of inner prayer -
259
00:20:57,120 --> 00:20:59,960
particularly the Jesus prayer,
this is very important.
260
00:20:59,960 --> 00:21:04,240
Lord Jesus Christ, son of God,
have mercy on me.
261
00:21:04,240 --> 00:21:08,280
Lord Jesus Christ, son of God,
have mercy on me.
262
00:21:09,920 --> 00:21:12,800
I'm aware that I'm praying
with colour.
263
00:21:12,800 --> 00:21:16,080
I'm not just praying with words
but I'm praying with colour.
264
00:21:16,080 --> 00:21:18,680
It's a very silent work
but very articulate
265
00:21:18,680 --> 00:21:20,880
and I will die
but the words will carry on.
266
00:21:20,880 --> 00:21:24,760
I will be forgotten
but the icon will keep speaking.
267
00:21:29,080 --> 00:21:32,240
Before that soaks in,
I now lay the gold.
268
00:21:36,720 --> 00:21:39,680
The background of an icon
is generally gold.
269
00:21:39,680 --> 00:21:44,040
It represents the all-pervading
presence of God.
270
00:21:44,040 --> 00:21:48,760
It reflects light, it gives light.
It's radiant with God.
271
00:21:48,760 --> 00:21:52,760
Radiant with light therefore
radiant with gold, if you like.
272
00:21:52,760 --> 00:21:56,640
The light in an icon is dynamic.
273
00:21:56,640 --> 00:21:59,320
The light might be dancing
off the golden background
274
00:21:59,320 --> 00:22:03,520
so the gold is not just representing
God looking at us
and sitting on a throne,
275
00:22:03,520 --> 00:22:07,840
God is mingling with us,
transforming us, communing with us.
276
00:22:07,840 --> 00:22:11,080
Through the light
and the moving light of an icon,
277
00:22:11,080 --> 00:22:14,920
God is intertwining, as it were,
with his creation.
278
00:22:16,960 --> 00:22:20,600
A life with God is dynamic,
not static.
279
00:22:26,720 --> 00:22:31,560
These paintings were supposed
to be seen by candlelight
280
00:22:31,560 --> 00:22:34,640
and when you bring a candle
right up to this painting,
281
00:22:34,640 --> 00:22:39,760
the colour of the gold
is absolutely transformed.
282
00:22:39,760 --> 00:22:41,760
It goes from this murky brown
283
00:22:41,760 --> 00:22:46,200
to this absolutely brilliant
shimmering yellowness
284
00:22:46,200 --> 00:22:49,240
and it seems to be alive.
285
00:22:49,240 --> 00:22:54,360
It sort of dances and, you know,
no other colour, no other substance,
286
00:22:54,360 --> 00:22:58,000
responded to light, reflected
the light quite like gold,
287
00:22:58,000 --> 00:23:00,800
and that is why for the Christians,
288
00:23:00,800 --> 00:23:05,120
gold became the colour
of the light of God.
289
00:23:08,960 --> 00:23:13,760
The golden light
of icon paintings was intoxicating
290
00:23:13,760 --> 00:23:18,280
and the Christians were desperate
for more of it.
291
00:23:18,280 --> 00:23:23,760
They yearned to be fully immersed
in the divine light of heaven.
292
00:23:27,000 --> 00:23:29,720
The basilica of San Vitale
in Ravenna
293
00:23:29,720 --> 00:23:36,240
was built by
the Byzantine Emperor Justinian
in the 6th century AD.
294
00:23:39,160 --> 00:23:41,640
It is a masterpiece
of early Christian art.
295
00:23:52,840 --> 00:23:57,480
Inside, the walls
are encrusted with gold.
296
00:24:01,360 --> 00:24:03,040
But this gold is applied
297
00:24:03,040 --> 00:24:05,320
with one of the great inventions
298
00:24:05,320 --> 00:24:07,000
of the Byzantine Age.
299
00:24:13,400 --> 00:24:18,000
This is a gold tessera.
300
00:24:18,000 --> 00:24:23,920
There are tens of thousands
of these all across that wall
301
00:24:23,920 --> 00:24:26,720
and what they do is amazing.
302
00:24:28,760 --> 00:24:31,240
They trap all of the light
in this church,
303
00:24:31,240 --> 00:24:35,720
and then the glass like a lens
amplifies that light.
304
00:24:35,720 --> 00:24:42,400
But it's not the monotonous,
unchanging, blinding light
of electricity.
305
00:24:42,400 --> 00:24:47,480
The light sparkles
and it glitters and it glistens.
306
00:24:47,480 --> 00:24:51,120
No wonder they loved them so much.
307
00:24:51,120 --> 00:24:54,800
They must have thought
when they looked at that,
308
00:24:54,800 --> 00:24:58,040
that they were looking right
into the kingdom of heaven.
309
00:25:01,480 --> 00:25:04,720
The early Christians who had once
renounced all things golden,
310
00:25:04,720 --> 00:25:08,400
had, like the ancients before them,
311
00:25:08,400 --> 00:25:13,240
used the colour ingeniously to bring
themselves closer to their God.
312
00:25:15,120 --> 00:25:19,360
And for a millennium, Christian
artists continued to use gold
313
00:25:19,360 --> 00:25:21,800
to feel his presence.
314
00:25:25,280 --> 00:25:31,320
But in the Renaissance, heaven
seemed to lose its monopoly on gold
315
00:25:31,320 --> 00:25:37,000
and gold would become a potent force
in more worldly affairs.
316
00:25:44,160 --> 00:25:51,000
From the 1500s, there was
a flowering of wonderful
golden jewels...
317
00:25:59,160 --> 00:26:03,440
..flights of fancy made to satisfy
the vanity of kings,
318
00:26:03,440 --> 00:26:06,440
queens,
319
00:26:06,440 --> 00:26:08,280
and their courts.
320
00:26:16,240 --> 00:26:21,520
Now, this exquisite little thing
really typifies the top end
321
00:26:21,520 --> 00:26:25,680
of Renaissance gold work
and it shows on the front,
322
00:26:25,680 --> 00:26:29,040
the inimitable features
of Queen Elizabeth I,
323
00:26:29,040 --> 00:26:32,400
in solid gold, of course,
and these golden cameos
324
00:26:32,400 --> 00:26:37,480
would be handed out by the Queen
to her most trusted courtiers.
325
00:26:37,480 --> 00:26:40,840
So while it's gold, it's no longer
really about the sacred.
326
00:26:40,840 --> 00:26:47,200
What it's really about is power,
politics and, above all, status.
327
00:26:56,240 --> 00:27:01,720
The great kings and queens of
the Renaissance scoured Europe
328
00:27:01,720 --> 00:27:06,360
seeking the finest goldsmiths
in a bid to outshine their rivals.
329
00:27:07,520 --> 00:27:12,040
And there was one place
whose reputation for gold work
330
00:27:12,040 --> 00:27:14,120
eclipsed nearly all the others.
331
00:27:22,680 --> 00:27:25,720
This is the Ponte Vecchio
in Florence
332
00:27:25,720 --> 00:27:30,600
and in the Renaissance
it was one of the great centres
of gold work.
333
00:27:30,600 --> 00:27:36,240
The finest goldsmiths in Italy would
line up along this narrow street,
334
00:27:36,240 --> 00:27:38,480
much as they do today in fact,
335
00:27:38,480 --> 00:27:42,560
and from here they would sell
their wares to the kings and queens
336
00:27:42,560 --> 00:27:46,320
and the rulers
and the rich people of Europe.
337
00:27:49,280 --> 00:27:52,280
And when these people arrived here,
338
00:27:52,280 --> 00:27:56,360
most hoped to get their hands
on the work of one man.
339
00:27:57,800 --> 00:28:01,360
He was called Benvenuto Cellini.
340
00:28:03,280 --> 00:28:06,720
Cellini's father wanted him
to become a musician
341
00:28:06,720 --> 00:28:10,000
but Benvenuto wanted
to be an artist.
342
00:28:10,000 --> 00:28:15,240
At the age of just 13, he forced his
way into the goldsmiths' workshops
343
00:28:15,240 --> 00:28:17,400
here on the Ponte Vecchio.
344
00:28:17,400 --> 00:28:20,960
It's no surprise that there's
a huge statue of him here.
345
00:28:20,960 --> 00:28:22,960
He's the only goldsmith
to get a statue.
346
00:28:22,960 --> 00:28:28,880
That is because
Benvenuto Cellini quickly became
the greatest goldsmith of them all.
347
00:28:32,320 --> 00:28:37,600
Cellini was fastidious in recording
his many ingenious techniques
348
00:28:37,600 --> 00:28:42,080
and his writings remain
a bible of the goldsmith's art.
349
00:29:07,160 --> 00:29:10,840
Paolo Penko is
a Florentine goldsmith
350
00:29:10,840 --> 00:29:14,640
who has been following the teachings
of Cellini since he was a boy.
351
00:30:04,760 --> 00:30:10,240
Cellini's legacy lives on
at the studio of Paolo Penko,
352
00:30:10,240 --> 00:30:12,840
but of Cellini's gold work,
353
00:30:12,840 --> 00:30:16,920
only a single piece
has survived the centuries,
354
00:30:16,920 --> 00:30:21,600
yet it is thought to be
the Mona Lisa of sculpture.
355
00:30:24,360 --> 00:30:27,280
The story of its creation
is remarkable if only
356
00:30:27,280 --> 00:30:31,400
because Cellini was never as pure
as the gold with which he worked.
357
00:30:34,600 --> 00:30:38,760
Cellini was a troublemaker.
358
00:30:40,120 --> 00:30:45,400
He murdered three people
and he tried to kill many more.
359
00:30:45,400 --> 00:30:50,840
He was charged for rape,
he was charged for sodomy
360
00:30:50,840 --> 00:30:53,520
and he was constantly on the run,
361
00:30:53,520 --> 00:30:57,280
constantly getting
into fights and brawls,
362
00:30:57,280 --> 00:31:01,240
and he was even partial
to a little bit of theft.
363
00:31:01,240 --> 00:31:07,680
On one occasion, he was accused
of stealing jewellery from the Pope.
364
00:31:12,600 --> 00:31:17,440
But there was one king who would
forgive Cellini everything
365
00:31:17,440 --> 00:31:19,720
to have him at his court.
366
00:31:19,720 --> 00:31:26,800
King Francis I of France
was one of Europe's most flamboyant
and art-loving monarchs.
367
00:31:26,800 --> 00:31:30,920
He wanted to make his kingdom
the centre of the Renaissance,
368
00:31:30,920 --> 00:31:34,840
and in 1540,
he invited Cellini to Paris.
369
00:31:37,960 --> 00:31:41,320
Shortly after Cellini
arrived in Paris,
370
00:31:41,320 --> 00:31:44,560
King Francis invited him
in for dinner
371
00:31:44,560 --> 00:31:50,040
and said he would pay him
1,000 scudi, which was
a vast sum of money at the time,
372
00:31:50,040 --> 00:31:55,280
if Cellini would make him
a solid gold salt cellar.
373
00:31:55,280 --> 00:31:58,040
Now when most people
think of salt cellars,
374
00:31:58,040 --> 00:32:00,120
they think of objects like this.
375
00:32:00,120 --> 00:32:02,600
But Cellini
was no ordinary person
376
00:32:02,600 --> 00:32:08,040
and he instantly set to work
on one of the most ambitious
projects of his career.
377
00:32:11,520 --> 00:32:17,520
He sweated over the salt cellar
for three long years,
378
00:32:17,520 --> 00:32:21,560
but the result of his labours
was a masterpiece.
379
00:32:51,760 --> 00:32:57,600
Cellini's salt cellar is now
in Vienna where it's being
carefully restored.
380
00:32:59,200 --> 00:33:02,280
It's a rare opportunity to see
Cellini's masterpiece
381
00:33:02,280 --> 00:33:04,920
just as he saw it
in his own workshop.
382
00:33:13,760 --> 00:33:16,680
So this is it, the Saliera.
383
00:33:16,680 --> 00:33:19,320
I must say, it's incredibly exciting
384
00:33:19,320 --> 00:33:20,880
to see it in this way.
385
00:33:20,880 --> 00:33:22,200
You really get an idea
386
00:33:22,200 --> 00:33:23,280
of how Cellini
387
00:33:23,280 --> 00:33:25,400
put this masterpiece together
388
00:33:25,400 --> 00:33:28,880
because it's all in its constituent
parts as he would have seen them.
389
00:33:28,880 --> 00:33:32,240
The two most recognisable parts
390
00:33:32,240 --> 00:33:34,680
are these two magnificent
391
00:33:34,680 --> 00:33:36,440
solid gold nudes.
392
00:33:36,440 --> 00:33:37,640
On the left,
393
00:33:37,640 --> 00:33:40,640
we have the god of the sea,
Neptune or Mare,
394
00:33:40,640 --> 00:33:44,920
and you can recognise him
from his terrific little trident.
395
00:33:44,920 --> 00:33:47,200
Next to Neptune would have been
396
00:33:47,200 --> 00:33:50,320
this magnificent
gold and enamelled boat,
397
00:33:50,320 --> 00:33:51,440
a boat that may well have
398
00:33:51,440 --> 00:33:53,040
a grumpy self-portrait
399
00:33:53,040 --> 00:33:55,640
of Cellini on the front.
400
00:33:55,640 --> 00:34:01,600
It was in that boat that
King Francis would have put
his salt.
401
00:34:01,600 --> 00:34:05,600
Salt was an incredibly important
substance in the 16th century
402
00:34:05,600 --> 00:34:10,520
and Francis probably got about 10%
of his annual revenue from salt tax.
403
00:34:10,520 --> 00:34:14,000
It was quite important to have it
in a great gold dish on the table.
404
00:34:14,000 --> 00:34:18,640
Opposite Neptune would have been
the goddess of the earth,
405
00:34:18,640 --> 00:34:23,000
known as Terra or Ceres, and she
is there squeezing her breast,
406
00:34:23,000 --> 00:34:24,200
which may well be a symbol
407
00:34:24,200 --> 00:34:27,600
of fecundity and fertility,
408
00:34:27,600 --> 00:34:30,560
or just Cellini having a bit
of a joke. We don't know.
409
00:34:30,560 --> 00:34:32,440
But she had next to her
410
00:34:32,440 --> 00:34:34,840
this absolutely exquisite
411
00:34:34,840 --> 00:34:40,160
triumphal arch, and inside that,
Francis would have put his pepper.
412
00:34:40,160 --> 00:34:43,280
Now, these two figures
and these two vessels
413
00:34:43,280 --> 00:34:45,040
would have then gone on top
414
00:34:45,040 --> 00:34:46,280
of this...
415
00:34:46,280 --> 00:34:49,960
unbelievably colourful,
brilliant surface.
416
00:34:49,960 --> 00:34:56,080
Neptune would have sat on this side,
which is a more nautical side,
417
00:34:56,080 --> 00:34:59,480
and the goddess of the land
would have sat on this land section
418
00:34:59,480 --> 00:35:02,560
where we can see rocks
and plants and animals.
419
00:35:02,560 --> 00:35:07,360
This would have gone onto
this ebony base.
420
00:35:07,360 --> 00:35:09,000
I must say
421
00:35:09,000 --> 00:35:11,160
that standing in front of it today,
422
00:35:11,160 --> 00:35:17,600
I'm just bowled over by how
brilliant this work of art is.
423
00:35:17,600 --> 00:35:21,760
All the techniques known
to 16th-century goldsmiths
424
00:35:21,760 --> 00:35:24,880
and all the techniques
written about in Cellini's manual,
425
00:35:24,880 --> 00:35:29,760
all of them are applied here and
applied with consistent brilliance.
426
00:35:29,760 --> 00:35:32,080
He's also responded
to all these different genres.
427
00:35:32,080 --> 00:35:34,880
There's a landscape there, animals,
428
00:35:34,880 --> 00:35:37,960
and these two great
Michelangelesque nudes.
429
00:35:37,960 --> 00:35:42,720
There's architecture, there's even,
perhaps, a self-portrait.
430
00:35:42,720 --> 00:35:43,960
This is a kind of
431
00:35:43,960 --> 00:35:46,400
distillation of the whole history
of art
432
00:35:46,400 --> 00:35:49,440
into one condiment dish.
433
00:35:52,880 --> 00:35:55,720
When Cellini presented
his work to the king,
434
00:35:55,720 --> 00:36:00,600
it is said that Francis
squealed with delight.
435
00:36:04,600 --> 00:36:06,320
So perfect was the piece
436
00:36:06,320 --> 00:36:11,640
that Francis could barely
bring himself to touch it.
437
00:36:11,640 --> 00:36:16,400
But there was one king who would
have grabbed the Saliera
with both hands.
438
00:36:22,800 --> 00:36:25,480
In the deep, dark forests
of eastern Europe,
439
00:36:25,480 --> 00:36:31,320
there lived a ruler whose lust
for gold outshone all others.
440
00:36:31,320 --> 00:36:36,160
But his obsession would turn him
from the fine art of the goldsmith
441
00:36:36,160 --> 00:36:39,280
to the dark art of alchemy.
442
00:36:39,280 --> 00:36:41,840
He was Augustus the Strong,
443
00:36:41,840 --> 00:36:48,440
and in 1694,
he was made Elector of Saxony.
444
00:36:51,840 --> 00:36:55,360
Augustus was something
of an outdoorsman.
445
00:36:55,360 --> 00:37:01,480
He was famed for being able
to break horseshoes in two
with his bare hands.
446
00:37:01,480 --> 00:37:05,000
His favourite sport
was fox tossing,
447
00:37:05,000 --> 00:37:09,960
a grotesque activity in which
he catapulted the poor creatures
448
00:37:09,960 --> 00:37:12,520
as high into the air as possible.
449
00:37:12,520 --> 00:37:15,400
On one particularly gruesome
day's contest,
450
00:37:15,400 --> 00:37:20,840
Augustus and his friends
tossed 687 foxes,
451
00:37:20,840 --> 00:37:26,120
533 hares, 34 badgers
452
00:37:26,120 --> 00:37:29,800
and 21 wild cats to their deaths.
453
00:37:47,200 --> 00:37:50,720
Here in Dresden,
the capital of his kingdom,
454
00:37:50,720 --> 00:37:55,560
is an equestrian statue
of Augustus himself.
455
00:37:55,560 --> 00:37:58,920
And they call it
the Golden Rider.
456
00:38:04,840 --> 00:38:10,840
Here is Augustus the Strong, looking
like some ancient Roman Emperor,
457
00:38:10,840 --> 00:38:15,320
gazing out over his great
eastern European kingdom.
458
00:38:16,520 --> 00:38:19,760
And, you know, I think it's
a rather fitting monument to him
459
00:38:19,760 --> 00:38:22,200
because there was nothing
that Augustus wanted more
460
00:38:22,200 --> 00:38:26,080
than to be seen as one of the
great rulers of European history -
461
00:38:26,080 --> 00:38:29,480
up there with Justinian,
as great as King Francis,
462
00:38:29,480 --> 00:38:33,400
and he knew that the secret
to achieving that ambition was gold.
463
00:38:40,720 --> 00:38:46,360
Among Augustus's baroque palaces
that still dominate Dresden today
464
00:38:46,360 --> 00:38:49,080
are more relics of his reign...
465
00:38:51,880 --> 00:38:56,120
..and one of them
is an extraordinary golden work -
466
00:38:56,120 --> 00:39:02,080
a fantasy vision of the glittering
court Augustus aspired to create.
467
00:39:10,160 --> 00:39:15,200
This immodest piece was created
by Augustus's favourite goldsmith,
468
00:39:15,200 --> 00:39:19,960
Johann Melchior Dinglinger.
469
00:39:19,960 --> 00:39:24,240
It took him seven years to make
and it depicts
470
00:39:24,240 --> 00:39:28,480
the court of the great
Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb.
471
00:39:28,480 --> 00:39:31,240
He was Augustus's contemporary
472
00:39:31,240 --> 00:39:35,320
and reputed to be the richest man
in the world.
473
00:39:35,320 --> 00:39:41,200
There are 132 exotic courtiers.
474
00:39:43,080 --> 00:39:47,960
Dinglinger used
over 5,000 precious stones
475
00:39:47,960 --> 00:39:53,200
and, of course,
lavish quantities of gold,
476
00:39:53,200 --> 00:39:59,200
but this was the closest Augustus
could get to such splendour...
477
00:40:00,800 --> 00:40:04,560
..and as he gazed on it,
how envious he must have been.
478
00:40:15,320 --> 00:40:19,000
But Augustus would hatch a plan,
479
00:40:19,000 --> 00:40:25,400
a dark plot to fill his coffers
with unlimited amounts of gold.
480
00:40:31,400 --> 00:40:36,720
It was 1701
when, in one of his many castles,
481
00:40:36,720 --> 00:40:41,160
Augustus got wind
of an extraordinary rumour.
482
00:40:43,560 --> 00:40:45,800
Somewhere deep in Prussia,
483
00:40:45,800 --> 00:40:49,040
a teenager had gone
and achieved something
484
00:40:49,040 --> 00:40:51,640
that no-one
had ever achieved before -
485
00:40:51,640 --> 00:40:55,560
something many people thought
was completely impossible,
486
00:40:55,560 --> 00:40:59,600
and something that finally seemed
to bring within reach
487
00:40:59,600 --> 00:41:04,080
Augustus's dream of unlimited gold.
488
00:41:07,360 --> 00:41:11,600
Friedrich Bottger
was a 19-year-old alchemist.
489
00:41:12,840 --> 00:41:19,040
He had apparently performed
the miracle of transmutation,
490
00:41:19,040 --> 00:41:23,440
turning lesser metals
into glittering gold.
491
00:41:27,240 --> 00:41:30,400
At one of these demonstrations,
he's supposed to have transmuted
492
00:41:30,400 --> 00:41:32,840
a number of silver coins
493
00:41:32,840 --> 00:41:35,560
into an ingot of pure gold.
494
00:41:35,560 --> 00:41:37,120
Now, that kind of news
495
00:41:37,120 --> 00:41:38,840
cannot be kept secret.
496
00:41:42,120 --> 00:41:46,160
Augustus wasn't sure
whether to believe it or not.
497
00:41:46,160 --> 00:41:51,120
Just to be on the safe side,
he had Bottger kidnapped
498
00:41:51,120 --> 00:41:54,000
and thrown deep into the dungeons
beneath his castle.
499
00:41:54,000 --> 00:41:57,920
History is scattered
with examples of alchemists
500
00:41:57,920 --> 00:42:00,800
who ended up on the gallows,
being executed,
501
00:42:00,800 --> 00:42:05,760
because they seemed to have
really thought they could
attain transmutation.
502
00:42:05,760 --> 00:42:10,360
Then, of course, they couldn't
actually live up to that.
503
00:42:16,600 --> 00:42:20,680
It was here in this network
of subterranean chambers
504
00:42:20,680 --> 00:42:24,960
underneath Augustus's castle,
that Bottger was sent.
505
00:42:24,960 --> 00:42:28,080
The doors were bolted,
all the windows were bricked up
506
00:42:28,080 --> 00:42:31,960
and inside, Bottger laboured
day and night
507
00:42:31,960 --> 00:42:38,120
to manufacture the gold
that Augustus wanted so badly.
508
00:42:40,560 --> 00:42:43,600
Bottger finds himself between
a rock and a hard place.
509
00:42:43,600 --> 00:42:45,680
He's being watched all the time.
510
00:42:45,680 --> 00:42:51,360
At some point, he's going to have
to produce something that will
satisfy his captor.
511
00:42:51,360 --> 00:42:53,960
Really, this must have been
a desperate time for Bottger.
512
00:42:53,960 --> 00:42:58,040
He had to think about
how to escape with his life.
513
00:42:59,760 --> 00:43:01,800
To keep the noose from his neck,
514
00:43:01,800 --> 00:43:07,400
Bottger would have used every trick
in the alchemist's recipe book.
515
00:43:11,440 --> 00:43:18,360
"Take all of the aforesaid
black faeces or black dragon
516
00:43:18,360 --> 00:43:21,760
"and spread them on a marble
or other fit stone
517
00:43:21,760 --> 00:43:28,680
"and put into the one side thereof
a burning coal
518
00:43:28,680 --> 00:43:30,840
"and the fire will glide
through the faeces
519
00:43:30,840 --> 00:43:36,440
"and consign them into a colour
very glorious to behold.
520
00:43:48,240 --> 00:43:53,920
But this colour was as close
as Augustus would ever come
to the alchemist's dream.
521
00:44:00,480 --> 00:44:02,640
After 12 years of imprisonment,
522
00:44:02,640 --> 00:44:08,840
Bottger, of course, had failed to
conjure up a single speck of gold.
523
00:44:08,840 --> 00:44:13,120
Only some sycophantic poetry
saved him from the gallows.
524
00:44:17,240 --> 00:44:19,720
But Augustus had one golden object
525
00:44:19,720 --> 00:44:24,160
that perfectly captures the failure
of his grand ambitions.
526
00:44:28,320 --> 00:44:30,960
It's a sun mask
527
00:44:30,960 --> 00:44:34,720
that he rather liked wearing
at his many balls and pageants.
528
00:44:38,360 --> 00:44:41,440
Now, one of the most
remarkable things about the mask
529
00:44:41,440 --> 00:44:45,640
is Dinglinger modelled it
precisely on Augustus's features.
530
00:44:45,640 --> 00:44:48,920
So by looking at the mask,
we can see what Augustus the Strong
531
00:44:48,920 --> 00:44:51,760
actually looked like.
532
00:44:51,760 --> 00:44:54,320
One thing
I'm particularly surprised by
533
00:44:54,320 --> 00:44:57,280
is how small and chubby
his face was,
534
00:44:57,280 --> 00:45:00,960
but for me, this isn't
really about reality,
535
00:45:00,960 --> 00:45:06,400
it's a fantasy and that's why
that mask becomes
so powerful and so revealing.
536
00:45:08,440 --> 00:45:11,480
It embodies that desperate
desire of Augustus
537
00:45:11,480 --> 00:45:15,320
to enter the pantheon of the great
gods and the great kings,
538
00:45:15,320 --> 00:45:19,040
but the truth is,
underneath that glowing mask,
539
00:45:19,040 --> 00:45:23,720
he wasn't rich enough and wasn't
powerful enough to be one of them,
540
00:45:23,720 --> 00:45:26,320
and that's why this mask
is made of copper
541
00:45:26,320 --> 00:45:29,160
with a little bit of gold
put on the top of it.
542
00:45:32,840 --> 00:45:38,520
Augustus's vision of unlimited gold
had failed to materialise
543
00:45:38,520 --> 00:45:41,760
but in a little over 100 years,
544
00:45:41,760 --> 00:45:45,440
the alchemist's dream
would come true.
545
00:45:45,440 --> 00:45:50,640
And this miraculous discovery
took place...
546
00:45:52,280 --> 00:45:54,760
..in Birmingham.
547
00:45:57,400 --> 00:46:02,480
In the 19th century,
Birmingham was far and away
548
00:46:02,480 --> 00:46:06,800
the most inventive place
on the planet.
549
00:46:06,800 --> 00:46:10,400
Now let me just give one example,
in that period,
550
00:46:10,400 --> 00:46:13,960
this city registered three times
as many patents
551
00:46:13,960 --> 00:46:17,320
as any other city in the world.
552
00:46:17,320 --> 00:46:20,200
Indeed, it seemed that hardly
a day would pass here
553
00:46:20,200 --> 00:46:24,600
without someone inventing something.
554
00:46:24,600 --> 00:46:28,040
But for me, one of those inventions
was more remarkable
555
00:46:28,040 --> 00:46:30,920
than all the others
because for the first time
556
00:46:30,920 --> 00:46:34,640
it promised to bring gold
within the reach of everyone.
557
00:46:39,040 --> 00:46:44,280
That remarkable invention
was the brainchild
558
00:46:44,280 --> 00:46:47,040
of one George Richards Elkington.
559
00:46:49,200 --> 00:46:55,360
George Elkington was a typical
product of industrial Birmingham.
560
00:46:55,360 --> 00:46:58,120
He was inventive, he was industrious
561
00:46:58,120 --> 00:47:01,520
and he was obsessed
with taking out patents.
562
00:47:01,520 --> 00:47:05,200
He patented virtually everything
he ever produced.
563
00:47:05,200 --> 00:47:10,440
The bi-focal, for instance, but
Elkington's most profitable licence
564
00:47:10,440 --> 00:47:15,840
was issued on 25th March, 1840,
when he patented
565
00:47:15,840 --> 00:47:19,640
a way to make gold objects
out of almost nothing.
566
00:47:25,440 --> 00:47:30,640
Years before Edison had even
invented the electric lightbulb,
567
00:47:30,640 --> 00:47:34,160
Elkington was harnessing electricity
to make gold objects.
568
00:47:39,160 --> 00:47:43,040
He called the process
electro-plating
569
00:47:43,040 --> 00:47:47,400
and it was a marvel
of the industrial age.
570
00:47:50,160 --> 00:47:55,800
At the centre of Elkington's
factory stood a huge machine
571
00:47:55,800 --> 00:48:01,920
that rotated 500 times a minute,
24 hours a day, seven days a week
572
00:48:01,920 --> 00:48:07,400
and around that machine
were these vast troughs
of bubbling brown liquid
573
00:48:07,400 --> 00:48:13,400
and those troughs transformed
ordinary objects into gold.
574
00:48:15,520 --> 00:48:19,200
Now, contemporaries were astounded
by the process.
575
00:48:19,200 --> 00:48:23,240
Some of them thought it was magic,
some of them thought it was alchemy,
576
00:48:23,240 --> 00:48:26,400
some thought it was some technology
from a distant future
577
00:48:26,400 --> 00:48:30,560
but nearly all of them
thought it was a miracle.
578
00:48:33,360 --> 00:48:36,960
One day in 1844,
579
00:48:36,960 --> 00:48:41,720
Elkington was graced with a visit
from Prince Albert
580
00:48:41,720 --> 00:48:46,480
who had come to see
the miracle for himself.
581
00:48:46,480 --> 00:48:49,680
And for this special occasion,
582
00:48:49,680 --> 00:48:54,000
Elkington had prepared
a most wondrous spectacle.
583
00:48:57,080 --> 00:49:01,240
Elkington plucked
a small rose from his lapel.
584
00:49:03,280 --> 00:49:08,320
He then delicately lowered it
into one of his troughs of liquid.
585
00:49:10,160 --> 00:49:11,960
He waited.
586
00:49:11,960 --> 00:49:18,760
The crowd waited and when the time
was just right, he withdrew it.
587
00:49:21,120 --> 00:49:25,120
The crowd was amazed.
A round of applause broke out
588
00:49:25,120 --> 00:49:30,880
because Elkington's rose
had been turned to gold.
589
00:49:30,880 --> 00:49:33,920
And as they looked closer,
they grew even more amazed
590
00:49:33,920 --> 00:49:39,080
because by chance, a small cobweb
had been on Elkington's rose
591
00:49:39,080 --> 00:49:43,480
and the cobweb too had been turned
592
00:49:43,480 --> 00:49:48,960
into the finest threads of gold.
593
00:49:52,200 --> 00:49:55,560
Albert was captivated,
594
00:49:55,560 --> 00:50:00,240
so captivated that he became
an electro-plating addict.
595
00:50:02,960 --> 00:50:06,400
On his return to London,
it is said that he had
596
00:50:06,400 --> 00:50:12,560
his very own electro-plating suite
installed at Buckingham Palace
597
00:50:12,560 --> 00:50:17,600
finally fulfilling every ruler's
dream of unlimited gold.
598
00:50:23,480 --> 00:50:26,560
With a royal seal of approval,
599
00:50:26,560 --> 00:50:30,560
Elkington's factory
went into overdrive.
600
00:50:32,840 --> 00:50:39,040
Within a few years,
he was employing 10,000 people
601
00:50:39,040 --> 00:50:43,160
and his gold was sent
across the world,
602
00:50:43,160 --> 00:50:49,360
to India, to Uruguay
and even to Egypt.
603
00:50:49,360 --> 00:50:51,720
Elkington was churning out
gold objects
604
00:50:51,720 --> 00:50:54,960
on a scale never seen before.
605
00:50:59,480 --> 00:51:03,240
Why do you think people
like electroplating so much?
606
00:51:03,240 --> 00:51:06,600
Cheap. It's exactly
what they're liking!
607
00:51:06,600 --> 00:51:09,440
Because if everything was made
out of solid metal,
608
00:51:09,440 --> 00:51:13,680
it would cost a fortune,
where this will look like it's made
out of solid gold
609
00:51:13,680 --> 00:51:15,800
but it's really not!
610
00:51:20,760 --> 00:51:26,320
That there is gold. That's what
the actual gold looks like.
611
00:51:26,320 --> 00:51:27,880
What?! Yeah.
612
00:51:27,880 --> 00:51:31,240
That's actually gold. I don't know
how they make it like that.
613
00:51:31,240 --> 00:51:35,000
I'm not going to pretend to know.
But that there would do...
614
00:51:36,360 --> 00:51:39,640
..hundreds and hundreds of items
of work, just that small amount.
615
00:51:41,280 --> 00:51:43,800
And then, comes out and it's gold.
616
00:51:45,360 --> 00:51:48,200
It's a really thin amount.
617
00:51:48,200 --> 00:51:50,840
You wouldn't be able
to buy a packet of cigarettes
618
00:51:50,840 --> 00:51:53,280
with the amount of gold
that's on there.
619
00:51:53,280 --> 00:51:55,280
HE LAUGHS
620
00:51:55,280 --> 00:51:57,880
Because that's just a colour.
It's a gold colour,
621
00:51:57,880 --> 00:52:00,600
so people buy it for what
it looks like more than
622
00:52:00,600 --> 00:52:02,640
what the value of the actual gold is.
623
00:52:08,920 --> 00:52:12,440
People think it is real gold. Yeah.
624
00:52:12,440 --> 00:52:15,880
I think a lot of people would be
fooled. Yeah, a lot of people would.
625
00:52:17,240 --> 00:52:18,880
Fool's gold!
626
00:52:25,760 --> 00:52:28,080
'Elkington's fool's gold
627
00:52:28,080 --> 00:52:31,440
'had the Victorian public enchanted.
628
00:52:34,320 --> 00:52:37,360
'They peered into Elkington's
glittering showrooms
629
00:52:37,360 --> 00:52:39,960
'from Newcastle...
630
00:52:39,960 --> 00:52:42,200
'to London's fashionable
Regent Street.
631
00:52:44,480 --> 00:52:47,880
'But the public didn't just look.
632
00:52:47,880 --> 00:52:50,920
'They could now own
a little bit of gold
633
00:52:50,920 --> 00:52:53,200
'for the very first time.'
634
00:52:56,840 --> 00:53:00,320
This was the most
revolutionary technology
635
00:53:00,320 --> 00:53:03,560
and what it did
was democratise gold.
636
00:53:03,560 --> 00:53:06,720
It brought gold
into ordinary people's homes.
637
00:53:11,240 --> 00:53:14,320
'And Elkington's ingenious
new technology
638
00:53:14,320 --> 00:53:16,960
'allowed him to make perfect copies
639
00:53:16,960 --> 00:53:21,520
'of the most priceless and exquisite
treasures ever to have been found.'
640
00:53:23,680 --> 00:53:28,320
And these are based
on a really extraordinary original,
641
00:53:28,320 --> 00:53:32,080
an object discovered in Afghanistan,
642
00:53:32,080 --> 00:53:35,440
and Elkington made numerous,
numerous reproductions of them.
643
00:53:37,040 --> 00:53:40,200
What's amazing
is this probably served
644
00:53:40,200 --> 00:53:43,800
some incredibly important religious
function thousands of years ago,
645
00:53:43,800 --> 00:53:45,600
but now it was simply for display.
646
00:53:45,600 --> 00:53:49,320
Perhaps you could even use it
as a toothbrush holder.
647
00:53:51,280 --> 00:53:53,920
'As his electroplating empire
expanded,
648
00:53:53,920 --> 00:53:56,360
'one city was hooked
649
00:53:56,360 --> 00:53:59,600
'on Elkington's golden wares.
650
00:54:04,720 --> 00:54:09,280
'The dawn of the 20th century
was Vienna's gilded age.
651
00:54:13,200 --> 00:54:15,840
'Even as
the Austrian Empire crumbled,
652
00:54:15,840 --> 00:54:18,320
'their lust for gold remained.
653
00:54:20,480 --> 00:54:22,880
'But here there lived an artist
654
00:54:22,880 --> 00:54:24,680
'who was determined
655
00:54:24,680 --> 00:54:28,120
'to make gold sacred once again.
656
00:54:34,760 --> 00:54:39,360
'Gustav Klimt produced
a series of glittering paintings.
657
00:54:40,440 --> 00:54:43,440
'But one of them shines brighter
658
00:54:43,440 --> 00:54:44,880
'than all the rest.
659
00:54:47,800 --> 00:54:49,240
'..The Kiss...
660
00:54:50,560 --> 00:54:53,440
'..known as the last word on love...
661
00:54:55,800 --> 00:54:59,120
'..but I think it tells us
just as much about gold.'
662
00:55:00,240 --> 00:55:01,760
Klimt has thrown
663
00:55:01,760 --> 00:55:05,640
almost every single kind
of golden substance he could find
664
00:55:05,640 --> 00:55:08,480
on to this one canvas.
665
00:55:08,480 --> 00:55:12,640
In fact, there are eight different
kinds of gold leaf alone
666
00:55:12,640 --> 00:55:16,400
on this picture and then many more
different kinds of gold paint,
667
00:55:16,400 --> 00:55:19,760
and every single thing has been
applied in a different way
668
00:55:19,760 --> 00:55:22,880
so he has put
some gold leaf down flat,
669
00:55:22,880 --> 00:55:26,760
other times he's put gold on top
of bits of plaster and shellac
670
00:55:26,760 --> 00:55:29,480
to create these wonderful
jewel-like textures.
671
00:55:29,480 --> 00:55:32,040
So the whole thing becomes
incredibly opulent.
672
00:55:32,040 --> 00:55:34,880
It's almost like you're
opening a bag of jewels
673
00:55:34,880 --> 00:55:38,120
and looking inside to see all these
fantastic treasures within.
674
00:55:40,600 --> 00:55:43,600
He's looked back to the great
Egyptian sun gods...
675
00:55:45,000 --> 00:55:47,840
..the great Byzantine mosaics.
676
00:55:47,840 --> 00:55:51,920
He had been to Ravenna,
he'd seen those fantastic mosaics.
677
00:55:51,920 --> 00:55:55,720
He's drawing on decorative gold work
of the Renaissance, like Cellini.
678
00:56:00,120 --> 00:56:02,040
So why is Klimt doing it?
679
00:56:02,040 --> 00:56:05,120
Why so much gold in so many ways
680
00:56:05,120 --> 00:56:08,040
with so many references
and meanings?
681
00:56:08,040 --> 00:56:12,680
Well, I think
it's part of his desperate attempt
to bring back gold from the brink
682
00:56:12,680 --> 00:56:16,320
because he has lived through a
period when gold has become debased,
683
00:56:16,320 --> 00:56:18,760
it has become cheap,
it's become tacky,
684
00:56:18,760 --> 00:56:22,200
and he's trying to say, "No, gold
is the most precious thing we have.
685
00:56:22,200 --> 00:56:25,640
"It's the most numinous, spiritual,
other-worldly thing we have,
686
00:56:25,640 --> 00:56:27,280
"and therefore we have to devote it
687
00:56:27,280 --> 00:56:30,120
"to the most important things
in the world."
688
00:56:30,120 --> 00:56:34,120
And for Klimt,
the most important thing was love.
689
00:56:39,480 --> 00:56:42,200
'It was a beautiful idea.
690
00:56:42,200 --> 00:56:44,920
'But today, Klimt's grand ambition
691
00:56:44,920 --> 00:56:48,800
'has been undone
by the popularity of his work.
692
00:56:48,800 --> 00:56:51,440
'Endlessly reproduced,
693
00:56:51,440 --> 00:56:54,080
'The Kiss has become
just another golden idol
694
00:56:54,080 --> 00:56:56,520
'of our consumer century.
695
00:56:57,680 --> 00:57:01,600
'Now most of us can have
a little bit of gold in our lives.
696
00:57:02,680 --> 00:57:05,560
'And our obsession with it
remains undimmed.'
697
00:57:09,680 --> 00:57:13,760
You know, I think the reason
that we're so obsessed with gold
698
00:57:13,760 --> 00:57:16,040
is that gold reflects the things
699
00:57:16,040 --> 00:57:18,560
that every society holds
most sacred.
700
00:57:18,560 --> 00:57:22,960
So for the ancient Egyptians
it was the sun and the afterlife,
701
00:57:22,960 --> 00:57:26,760
for the Christians
it was the light of God,
702
00:57:26,760 --> 00:57:30,240
and for the Renaissance Kings
it was power and status,
703
00:57:30,240 --> 00:57:33,480
and for Gustav Klimt
it was love and sex.
704
00:57:33,480 --> 00:57:36,760
But this gold here
underneath the Bank of England
705
00:57:36,760 --> 00:57:40,760
suggests that for us
perhaps the most sacred thing
706
00:57:40,760 --> 00:57:42,240
is money.
707
00:57:44,720 --> 00:57:48,320
And, you know, when this beautiful
substance is locked away,
708
00:57:48,320 --> 00:57:50,560
seen only as a number, as a price,
709
00:57:50,560 --> 00:57:53,200
as a statistic on a spreadsheet,
710
00:57:53,200 --> 00:57:55,840
I can't help feeling
that maybe something is lost.
711
00:57:57,040 --> 00:57:58,880
And maybe somehow
712
00:57:58,880 --> 00:58:01,520
gold has lost its shine.
713
00:58:11,880 --> 00:58:13,320
'In the next episode...
714
00:58:15,360 --> 00:58:17,240
'..a colour from across the seas.
715
00:58:17,240 --> 00:58:20,840
'From Giotto's heavenly visions
716
00:58:20,840 --> 00:58:24,320
'to Titian's sensual delights...'
717
00:58:24,320 --> 00:58:27,120
This is an utter barn storm.
718
00:58:29,000 --> 00:58:31,480
'..from Picasso's
melancholy yearning
719
00:58:31,480 --> 00:58:34,360
'to Yves Klein's dreams of escape...
720
00:58:36,360 --> 00:58:41,120
'..it's the colour
of the great beyond,
of the for ever unattainable...'
721
00:58:41,120 --> 00:58:44,800
We were going to show those
dirty Commies that we were better.
722
00:58:44,800 --> 00:58:47,520
'..it's the story of blue.'
723
00:58:51,760 --> 00:58:53,720
Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
62233
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