Luke Pelcher

Cultures of Gold: Divinity, Trade, and Power

Catalan Atlas (detail), Vellum, Gold, Silver, C. 1375-85 CE, Present-day Mallorca, Spain

Throughout history, there are not many constants across cultures, borders, and time periods- ‘Death and taxes,’ they say. However, there is one particular precious metal that somehow finds its way into an important place in nearly every culture across the globe and across time. Gold means something different to each culture, but it is always held in a high regard- in Byzantine art, it was the backdrop for the holy plane, in countless cultures it has been used as currency, in Aztec society it was used to tribute the sun god- that which was most important to them, and there are countless others, like Islamic and Egyptian cultures that use gold to signify what they deem as closest to the gods. This, then, brings us to this image. This is Mansa Musa, the ninth Mansa of the Mali Empire and its leader from 1312-1337. Possibly more importantly, though, he is the richest person in history. The Mali Empire was a powerhouse of the trans-Saharan gold trade in the 14th century, and Mansa Musa built his massive fortune of gold off of that. This image depicts him holding a gold dinar, with a crown of gold atop his head. The gilded crown is clearly to represent his status as leader of an empire of gold. The golden circle in his hand though, presumed to be a dinar, representing his immense wealth of gold, may be something more. Perhaps it is not merely a dinar but instead a representation of the immense power he holds, both over his own empire and over trade partners. As discussed earlier, to many cultures gold represents divinity- Mansa Musa, then, holding the metaphorical keys to heaps of gold, also is the gatekeeper of divinity.

Qorikancha, Stone, Gold , C. 1200 CE, Cusco, Peru

This is Qorikancha- situated in Cusco, Peru and Quechuan for “Golden House'', this temple’s walls were once lined with 700 gold plates. Before the gold along its walls was melted down by the Spanish and the church of Santo Domingo was erected atop its ruins, this site served as an Incan temple of worship to the sun god. The gold topping the walls of the temple and the golden statues littered across the temple’s courtyard shimmered in the South American sun, imitating the luster of the sun. In this specific case, as Inti, the sun god was paramount to the Inca people and their religion, the specific luminous quality of gold lent itself to an appeal to the divine, this example existing completely outside of the ecosystem of trade in and around Saharan Africa. 

Djinguereber Mosque, Limestone, Straw, Wood, C. 1327 CE, Timbuktu

Now returning to West Africa and Mansa Musa’s Mali Empire, more specifically Timbuktu, this is sometimes referred to as the “city of gold.” This is primarily because of the important geographical position it held along the trade routes of the trans-saharan gold trade; Timbuktu often saw caravans of gold pass through. This mosque also contributes to that name- while notably not gold or gilded, this mosque probably used as much gold as one that is gilded would have. According to Ibn Khaldun, a well-known source from 14th century Mali, the designer of this Djinguereber mosque and learning center was paid by Mansa Musa in 14,000 mikthals of gold, a weight measurement that roughly corresponds to 200kg or 440 pounds for their role in its development, a less obvious way in which gold can be part of art and architecture. 

Dinar (Top), Gold, Issued under the rule of Al-Mustansir Billah, C. 1036-1094, Cairo, Egypt 
Dinar (Bottom), Gold, Issued under Yusuf Ibn Tashfin, C. 1061-1106, Almoravid Empire (Present Day Morocco and Spain)
 

Staying on the theme of money, these are two dinars from Northern Africa, about 3 centuries before the time of Mansa Musa. Although minted thousands of miles apart, these pieces of currency have similar dynamics afoot in their script. On the obverse of the Egyptian dinar, there is script that translates to “no god but God, Muhammad is the messenger of God” and other excerpts in a similar vein. On the reverse, it reads “Al-Mustansir Billah, Commander of the Faithful,” thus invoking a ‘divine right’ to the throne, supplemented by the religious text on the opposite side and emphasized by the gold medium. Similarly, on the Almoravid dinar, there is text regarding God and Muhammad, but where there is script praising the ruler on the Egyptian dinar, there is also text referencing the rulers of the past, thereby insinuating that Yusuf Ibn Tashfin’s right to the throne is not only endorsed by God, but also by those who had divine right before him. 

This is an Italian crucifixion scene from the time of Mansa Musa. This is one of countless crucifixion scenes from the medieval period in Italy, and again we see gold used as a backdrop in a holy scene, representing the ephemeral light of the heavens. However, This is specifically important because it uses African gold. This is one example of countless European works that use gold acquired through the trans-Saharan gold trade. There are very few golden art objects still surviving today from the Mali Empire, and a large reason for that is this. Much of the gold from Saharan Africa was traded to those that had interest in portraying the heavens. Additionally, after colonialism and looting over the centuries since Mansa Musa, we are left with an incomplete history of African gold in which we are forced to insert European Art. 

 
The Crucifixion, Tempera, Gold on panel, Naddo Ceccarelli, C. 1350-59 CE

Luke Pelcher

(he/him)

Art History ‘24

Luke Pelcher is a Senior Art History student with minors in Italian and Economics projecting to graduate in Fall 2024. When away from the classroom, Luke is probably at his job as a Building Manager at the student center or at home listening to Passing Grade.