Gold is a colour of reverence, an object of luxury, a symbol of wealth and power. From goldwork and gilding to goldsmithing and jewellery making, take a look at the ways in which gold has been used in objects in the collections we care for.
Golden threads
Goldwork is the art of embroidery using precious metal threads. Discover examples of these golden threads in tapestries, silk dresses and extravagant outfits throughout the ages.
Gilt-metal thread is used in large quantities in this 17th-century tapestry from the collection at Knole, Kent, to enhance a scene from the book of Daniel. In this scene Nebuchadnezzar, the King of Babylon, dreams of a gigantic statue made of four metals, including a head of gold. The tapestry is thought to be the work of Thomas Poyntz.
Floral embroidery of red poppies and golden wheat sheaves, spun from precious metal threads, adorn this late 1740s silk dress from the collection at Springhill, County Londonderry. The use of gilt thread on silk, combined with the technical skill required to weave fine motifs, would have made this a very expensive dress in its day.
This dress, from the collection at Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire, incorporates the motif of a peacock feather, symbolic in Indian culture and the Hindu religion. The fabric was made in India and embroidered by gold thread embroiderers who incorporated iridescent green beetle wing covers to represent the eye of each peacock feather.
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Gold leaf and gold ground items
Gold was a symbol of devotion and heavenly riches during the Renaissance. See how gold leaf and ground gold was used at this time to elevate portraiture and illuminate manuscripts, and even to create sumptuous wallpaper.
This 15th-century double portrait from the collection at Upton House, Warwickshire, shows a husband and wife in prayer. The generous use of gold leaf, which is created by beating gold into an extremely thin sheet, was used in sacred paintings to depict divine illumination. This portrait by Master of the St Barbara Legend can be found at Upton House.
Blickling Hall's splendidly illuminated manuscript of The Lives of the Caesars (1452) by Suetonius is said to have cost the Duke of Ferrara four gold ducats. The illumination in this manuscript is at least partly by the great 15th century Italian illuminator, Marco dell'Avogaro.
Brown strap-work designs contrast with an embossed gold ground in this wallpaper designed by Thomas Willement for the library at Charlecote Park, Warwickshire. Wallpaper like this, known as flock, was originally invented to imitate expensive cut-velvet hangings.
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Gilded objects
Gilding in sculpture is achieved by applying a very thin coating of gold leaf to a solid substance. Discover gold gilded furniture, household items and grand sculptures designed to display wealth, status and achievement.
Writing in 1765 about this magnificent John Linnell sofa with giltwood legs carved as figures of tritons and sea nymphs, the English architect Samuel Wyatt wrote 'it is certainly as elegant a piece of furniture as ever was made... The gilding is by far the best done of any I ever saw.' It was supplied for Nathaniel Curzon, Lord Scarsdale at Kedleston Hall, Derbyshire.
At Biddulph Grange Garden in Staffordshire, a gilded water buffalo perches amidst a canopy of trees, overseeing the China garden. It was made by Benjamin Waterhouse Hawkins, who, in addition to being a sculptor, was a keen geologist.
These gilded sterling silver scissors were developed specifically to cut grape stalks. They originally belonged to the 1st Marquess of Bristol who helped assemble a magnificent collection of silver for Ickworth in Suffolk. Grape scissors were one of many new silver objects produced in the decades around 1800, quickly becoming an essential accoutrement for a fashionable household.
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Significant gold
See precious items, with links to royalty, ancient civilisations and religion, including tsarist Russia and early Christianity.
Tipu Sultan, the 18th-century ruler of Mysore in South India, was also known as the Tiger of Mysore. For this reason, tigers adorn many of his belongings including this gold finial, set with rubies, diamonds and emeralds. It was taken from his throne after the Siege of Seringapatam and given to Henrietta Clive by Arthur Wellesley, later the 1st Duke of Wellington.
This gold medallion commemorates the halcyon days of the Russian royal family; it was produced for the coronation of Tsar Nicholas II in 1896. At the time, the Romanovs were the wealthiest family in the world, with control over the world's third largest gold reserve. Later, the Soviet Red Cross gave the medallion to Lady Clementine Churchill, and today it can be found at Chartwell.
This ancient gold ring is inscribed with the name of Venus – implying a devotion to the Roman goddess of love – and a Latin phrase which translates as ‘Senicianus live in God,’ a phrase associated with early British Christians. It was discovered in 1785 and was later acquired by the Chute family of The Vyne in Hampshire. It has previously been wrongly identified as the inspiration for Tolkien’s The Hobbit.
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See an 18th-century gilt table being restored
Thanks to generous support, a beautiful 18th-century gilt console table in Beningborough's collection in North Yorkshire has been returned to its former shining glory.
It took 240 hours of skilled craftsmanship to conserve the structure of the table and the marble top. The final aspects of gilding the gold took place in the saloon for visitors to see.
This video tells a rare behind-the-scenes conservation story.
Art and collections
We care for one of the world's largest and most significant collections of art and heritage objects. Explore the highlights, our latest major exhibitions, curatorial research and more.
Discover the stories behind some of the greatest artworks and artefacts looked after by the National Trust, as told in a dedicated book, 125 Treasures from the Collections of the National Trust.
The 13,000 oil paintings in our care are nearly all displayed in the houses of their historic owners. Learn about the stories behind a selection of the artworks and their owners.
Lady Mary Curzon captivated the room in a custom-made peacock dress at the Delhi Durbar ball in 1903. Learn about our work caring for the dress to ensure it continues to demand the limelight.
