Comment by Creative_Recover on 25/05/2024 at 20:25 UTC*

957 upvotes, 13 direct replies (showing 13)

View submission: Is this made out of real gold? If so, how much is it worth?

It's the Victoria Memorial, the metal statue part of the monument is made out of gilt-bronze, which is basically just bronze that's been covered in an amalgum made out of gold & mercury (and you can find out more about how they made gilt-bronze here: https://www.marcmaison.com/architectural-antiques-resources/gilt-bronze[1][2] ).

1: https://www.marcmaison.com/architectural-antiques-resources/gilt-bronze

2: https://www.marcmaison.com/architectural-antiques-resources/gilt-bronze

The actual gold content in the statue will be incredibly low as it's just a thin durable layer applied for decorative effect. But even the bronze won't be as much as it appears, because the casting processes of bronze puts a limit on how thick you can make the bronze (about 1-2 inches thick), meaning that all bronze statues above a certain small size are in fact hollow.

As a raw material, without knowing the weight of that particular part of the memorial it will be impossible to guess the scrap metal value of the statue, but bronze is currently retailing at about £5.50 per kilo. But as a cultural & historical artifact (as well as a work of art & peak craftsmanship), it's value to London and the broader country is priceless.

Interesting fact, but the winged figure is not that of an angel (or a young Victoria) but instead depicts the goddess Victoria from Roman mythology, who is the personification of victory (in fact, "Victoria" is literally the female Latin verson of the word "Victory") https://www.britannica.com/topic/Victoria-goddess[3][4] and who many statues & wall fresco paintings of which have been discovered across the ancient Roman Empire, such as this alter statue https://penelope.uchicago.edu/%5C~grout/encyclopaedia%5C_romana/greece/paganism/victoria.html[5][6] to this depiction of her found in Pompeii https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/Palestra%5C_grande%5C_di%5C_pompei%2C%5C_affreschi%5C_di%5C_Moregine%2C%5C_terzo%5C_triclinio%2C%5C_IV%5C_stile%2C%5C_epoca%5C_neroniana%2C%5C_07%5C_vittoria%5C_con%5C_tripode.jpg[7][8] .

3: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Victoria-goddess

4: https://www.britannica.com/topic/Victoria-goddess

5: https://penelope.uchicago.edu/%5C~grout/encyclopaedia%5C_romana/greece/paganism/victoria.html

6: https://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/greece/paganism/victoria.html

7: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/Palestra%5C_grande%5C_di%5C_pompei%2C%5C_affreschi%5C_di%5C_Moregine%2C%5C_terzo%5C_triclinio%2C%5C_IV%5C_stile%2C%5C_epoca%5C_neroniana%2C%5C_07%5C_vittoria%5C_con%5C_tripode.jpg

8: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fd/Palestra_grande_di_pompei%2C_affreschi_di_Moregine%2C_terzo_triclinio%2C_IV_stile%2C_epoca_neroniana%2C_07_vittoria_con_tripode.jpg

Victoria was the Romans version of the ancient Greek goddess Nike, who was also a female personification of victory in war & competition ( https://study.com/learn/lesson/nike-greek-goddess-mythology-symbol-facts.html[9][10] ) and it is her wings that the popular sportswear brand *Nike* logo are based on; many people assume that the "swoosh" in Nike's logo is in reference to going fast, but it is actually a nod to the ancient Greek goddesses Nike's wings and being victorious against all challenges.

9: https://study.com/learn/lesson/nike-greek-goddess-mythology-symbol-facts.html

10: https://study.com/learn/lesson/nike-greek-goddess-mythology-symbol-facts.html

Replies

Comment by Ravekat1 at 25/05/2024 at 21:11 UTC

72 upvotes, 2 direct replies

Does it stay like this or does it need to be retreated every now and then?

Comment by Ricktorical at 25/05/2024 at 22:28 UTC

128 upvotes, 0 direct replies

Heist’s off.

Comment by adeward at 26/05/2024 at 04:33 UTC

39 upvotes, 0 direct replies

Thanks for the excellent comment. You answered the question, gave further background, contextualised the historical origins of the subject matter, and even made reference to popular contemporary brands to help engage younger audiences. My guess is you work in interpretation for a museum?

Comment by Economy_Decision804 at 25/05/2024 at 22:56 UTC

34 upvotes, 1 direct replies

This guy Victoria Memorials

Comment by Ollie2220 at 26/05/2024 at 04:17 UTC

10 upvotes, 0 direct replies

Sneaking in a cheeky Nike advert I see clever

Comment by Snoo_67218 at 25/05/2024 at 21:49 UTC

7 upvotes, 0 direct replies

This guy metallurgists.

Comment by TurnoverInside2067 at 25/05/2024 at 21:12 UTC

9 upvotes, 0 direct replies

Depictions of Victory are/were very common. She also sits atop the Brandenburg Gate.