Past ExhibitionsBack

Gold—a metal, whose brilliance never fades—has served as offerings to the gods, emblems of royal and noble authority, and gifts for the dead for over six thousand years.
This exhibition presents gold works dating from before the Common Era, drawn from our collection and some of Japan’s foremost holdings, together with the stories that surround them. On view are mysterious divine figures cast from natural gold-silver alloys of the ancient Orient, sacred animals and plants engraved on golden vessels, treasures commemorating military victories and the fates of their owners, immense quantities of gold dedicated to temples, delicate bridal ornaments, a golden horse offered in exchange for a celestial steed in China, and dazzling works from ancient America where gold symbolized the sun and crowned the heads of kings.
We invite you to discover these rare and extraordinary golden masterpieces—treasures fashioned with the highest skill.