Gold is the most metaphysical of the metals. A couple of layers of gilding, and items of everyday experience attain perfection: golden calf, golden section, golden goal. In the form of money, gold was always the currency more of heaven than of earth. As late as 1965, President de Gaulle told a press conference at the Elysée Palace that gold was 'eternally and universally accepted as the unalterable fiduciary value par excellence'.

This universal character rescues gold from the manuals of architecture, interior decoration, jewellery, costume and specialised numismatics and makes its history of general interest. Unfortunately, the metaphysics of gold have often been mere superstition.

LRB 16 November 2000 | PDF Download