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Gold… a global phenomenon. That is the focus of the exhibition Enchanted by GOLD at the Wereldmuseum Leiden: the universal appreciation of gold, in all its forms, by cultures throughout history and around the world. To tell this story, the museum presents a collection of 436 gold objects, ranging from historical artefacts to special pieces from the Dutch Royal Family and contemporary work by 19 artists.
The value of gold
The Andes, home to the Inca civilisation, was one of the regions of the world richest in gold. The Inca used gold abundantly in their temples, art, and jewellery. But, for many pre-Columbian cultures, gold held a profound spiritual and symbolic significance, ‘beyond mere material or economic value,’ explains art historian and curator Wouter Welling. Gold was, in fact, the manifestation of the divine on Earth. The Inca called gold intiwatana, ‘the sweat of the sun god Inti’, and the Inca rulers adorned themselves with golden garments and amulets to demonstrate their connection to the gods.
Many other cultures have held gold in awe for its cosmic power, too. However, in regions where gold was not as abundant as the Andes, it also, and above all, came to hold monetary value. One exception can perhaps be found in China under the Ming Dynasty, where silver was preferred over gold as the primary currency. In general, though, because of its rarity, gold was used as a symbol of power and wealth. Indonesian golden amulets, ornaments belonging to Dutch royalty, Indian bridal saris adorned with golden embroidery, pharaonic golden amulets from Egypt, and even the robe of the Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie gleam in the exhibition.
One particularly fine item is a gold earring depicting Eros, which was once part of a larger piece of jewellery. According to Welling, jewellery in ancient Greece was worn by both men and women, ‘However, earrings were exclusively intended for women. These earrings often featured romantic themes, and a popular image in the 3rd and 2nd centuries BC was the goddess of love, Aphrodite, often depicted together with her son Eros. The Eros earring in the exhibition, found in modern-day Turkey, is a perfect example of craftsmanship and refined taste.’
Global trade
Another significant piece of art on display is an 18th-century Dutch handcrafted golden box, a gift to stadtholder (steward) William IV following his appointment as chairman of the West India Company (WIC) in 1749. The box reflects the wealth and might of the WIC, which was the largest trade company in the Caribbean. In their warehouses on the island of Curaçao, Dutch merchants amassed vast quantities of silver and indigo from Venezuela, as well as flour and pickled pork from Boston and New York. In exchange, WIC vessels supplied the Americas with spices, brandy, and enslaved people from various Dutch colonies. Such trade is depicted on the golden box, with engravings on the sides showing Dutch colonial forts on exotic beaches, while the front features a detailed depiction of Mercury, the god of merchants and thieves, patron of the WIC.
Long before the colonial era, from AD 400 to 1600, there was already a thriving gold trade in West Africa. Gold was mined in the interior regions of Ghana and Mali, and trade caravans travelled across the Sahara with camels laden with salt, gold, and ivory, along with slaves. Welling points to a richly illustrated parchment map. This 14th-century document, created by Abraham Cresques in Mallorca, depicts Mansa Musa, the king of Mali from 1312 to 1337. The ruler is adorned with a golden crown, a gold orb, and a sceptre with a golden tip: ‘When King Musa went on the hajj, the pilgrimage to Mecca, in 1324, he took a large supply of gold with him, which he distributed to the poor. His wealth was so renowned that the Portuguese, attracted by rumours of abundant gold, sailed to his kingdom in 1427. They landed near a small town, which they subsequently named Elmina, meaning “the mine”.’ This marked the beginning of the fierce competition among European powers for African gold.
Transmutation and transformation
Greed, exploitation, imperialism, and colonisation are the darker sides of gold, says Welling. ‘Alchemy, however, is ambiguous: it is both forward-driving and transient at the same time.’ Alchemy, the mystical precursor of modern chemistry, has a historical pedigree that dates back to some of the earliest civilisations on Earth, including ancient Egypt and Babylon. The art of alchemy fell into obscurity in Europe during the Dark Ages but was revived through contact with the Arab world. ‘Medieval rulers, driven by hunger for land, needed gold to finance their armies. To that end, they put alchemists to work. When these alchemists failed to turn lead into gold, they faced death.’
Projected on to the walls of a dark chamber in the exhibition are the psychedelic artworks of Carl Jung, the Swiss philosopher and founder of analytical psychology. Jung had a fascination with alchemy, seeing it as a metaphor for profound psychological and spiritual transformation: the conversion of lead into gold was a symbolic representation of the soul’s liberation from its bodily cage. Parallels can be drawn between this dualistic worldview and conceptions of the cosmos in pre-Columbian civilisations. Evidence for this is provided by a sculpture depicting two crocodiles, found in Panama and dated to between AD 800 and 1200. Shamans are known to have associated themselves with these amphibious creatures, who easily traversed both land and water worlds. Strikingly, the heads of the crocodiles feature tongues shaped like snakes. ‘Snakes were sacred in pre-Columbian cultures’, notes Welling, ‘with their ability to shed their skin and appear young again, snakes were used by pre-Columbian Americans as symbols of fertility and eternal life.’ Equally remarkable are the Tolima ornaments. These amulets, excavated in Colombia and dating back to the 6th century, symbolise the transition of the shaman from the earthly world to the spiritual realm.
No one has captured gold’s relationship with transience like American artist James Lee Byars (1932-1997). His artwork The Golden Room immerses visitors in a space gilded from every angle: golden walls, golden ceiling, golden floor. In the centre stands a golden cenotaph, where five stars mark the points where Byars lay, contemplating his journey to the afterlife. The Golden Room symbolises the ephemerality of life and provokes visitors to ask themselves what is truly eternal.
DETAILS:
Enchanted by GOLD
Address: Wereldmuseum Leiden, Steenstraat 1, 2312 BS Leiden
Open: until 26 October 2025
Website: https://leiden.wereldmuseum.nl/en/whats-on/exhibitions/enchanted-by-gold
