Brief: Edinburgh hosts stunning exhibition, “Gold”

These Tiffany & Co. gold, diamond and pearl opera glasses belonged to King George V and Queen Mary, 1893. Photos courtesy Royal Collection Trust / copyright Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

These Tiffany & Co. gold, diamond and pearl opera glasses belonged to King George V and Queen Mary, 1893. Photos courtesy Royal Collection Trust / copyright Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II 2015.

 

Gold bracelet with portrait miniature of Princess Mary of Cambridge, 1836.

Gold bracelet with portrait miniature of Princess Mary of Cambridge, 1836.

BY LESLIE JORDAN CLARY

More than 60 items of resplendent gold pieces from the Royal Collection are now on display at “Gold,” an exhibition at the Palace of Holyroodhouse in Edinburgh, Scotland. For millennium gold has represented royalty, and many pieces in the collection reflect the rituals and coronations of British monarchs. Some highlights of the show include a gilded manuscript based on an 1884 best selling memoir by Queen Victoria and a 16th century commesso — a cameo pendant combined with gold and a pair of gold opera glasses created by Tiffany & Co. The exhibition represents one of the largest and most important art collections of gold in the world. It runs through July 26.

—April 2015