istoriul-eTnografiuli muzeumi

s a q a r T v e l o s e r o v n u l i m u z e u m i

G e o r g i a n N a t i o n a l M u s e u m

The Histor ical and Ethnographic Museum of

Tbilisi 2008 Tbilisi

gansakuTrebuli madloba batonebs goga Canadirsa da Salva leJavas

Special thanks to Mr. GOGA CHANADIRI and Mr. SHALVA LEZHAVA

© saqarTvelos erovnuli muzeumi Georgian National Museum

ISBN 978-9941-0-0916-7

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Svaneti, one of the ancient his-torical provinces of Georgia is lo-cated in the mountainous part of the western Georgia. Situated on the southern slopes of the Central Greater Caucasus, it is famous for its breathtaking mountain scenery that extends over the upper valleys of the rivers Enguri, Tskhenistskali and Kodori. Picturesque landscape is not the only thing that makes Svaneti a unique destination.

svaneTi saqarTvelos erT-

erTi uZvelesi istoriuli da

geografiuli mxare, dasavleT

saqarTvelos mTiani nawili, gan-

lagebulia kavkasionis mTavari

qedis samxreT kalTebze, mdina-

reebis, enguris, cxeniswylisa

da kodoris saTaveebsa da Sua

welSi. zemo svaneTi bunebrivi

resursebis garda, kulturuli

memkvidreobis unikalur nimuS-

Ta simravliTac gamoirCeva.

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saqarTvelos am ulamaze-

si kuTxis mravalferovani

memkvidreobis didi nawili,

sadReisod, svaneTis isto-

riul-eTnografiul muze-

umSia Tavmoyrili. muzeumi,

romelic axla saqarTvelos

erovnuli muzeumis Semadgen-

lobaSia, 1936 wels daarsda,

qarTuli humanitaruli mec-

nierebis fuZemdebelTa da ad-

gilobriv moRvaweTa mcdelo-

biT, imisaTvis, rom regionSi

gabneuli unikaluri nimuSe-

bi ganadgureba-dakargvasa da

mouvlelobas gadarCenoda.

Svaneti is known for its unique treasures of cultural heritage that it managed to preserve throughout its long history. Today, the significant part of the Svanetian treasures has been collected under the umbrella of the Historic and Ethnographic Mu-seum of Svaneti. Now a part of the Georgian National Museum, it was founded in 1936 to help the locals preserve many unique pieces of art scattered all around the region. The museum helped to preserve many of the artifacts that might have been easily ruined or spoiled during the Soviet regime.

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svaneTi. sadili Tavad kodafxaZesTan sofel jaxunderSi, 1910 (d. ermakovis foto)Svaneti. Dinner at Prince Kodabkhadze in the Jakhunderi village, 1910 (Photo by D. Ermakov)

muzeumis koleqciebi moicavs

mestiaSi dacul mravalfero-

van masalas da kalas, ifaris,

mulaxis, latalisa da faris

istoriul TemTa soflebis

eklesiebSi dacul moZrav Zeg-

lebs; muzeumis daqvemdebareba-

Sia mestiis istoriul ubnebSi,

lexTagsa da lanCvalSi mdebare

uZvelesi sacxovrebeli kom-

pleqsebi koSkebiTurT, uSgulis

Temis sofel CaJaSis muzeum-

nakrZali - sacxovrebeli kom-

pleqsebiTa da erT-erT koSkSi

mowyobili gamofeniT.

The Historic and Ethnographic Mu-seum of Svaneti goes far beyond its borders and covers many of the most important architectural monu-ments located in the historic parts of Mestia - Lakhtagi and Lanchvali as well as old Svanetian houses with towers and an open-air mu-seum in the village Chazhashi of Ushguli community with its watch-towers and houses around. Mu-seum collections also include many pieces of art kept in the churches of villages Kala, Ipari, Mulakhi, Latali and Pari.

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xati wminda jvris nawiliT. XII-XIII ssThe icon with a part of the Holly Cross. 12th-13th cc

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sawinamZRvro jvari. XI sThe Processional cross. 11th c

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Standartis TaviHead of Shtandart

samkauli `Cafrasti~Necklace “Chaprasti”

arqeologiuri monapovrebi

svaneTSi Zv.w. III aTaswleuli-

dan aqtiur kulturul da so-

cialur cxovrebas adasturebs,

antikur xanaSi ki - am kuTxis

kolxeTisgan, oqros sawmisis

qveynisgan, ganuyoflobas. svane-

Tis muzeumis koleqciebSi mrav-

ladaa keramikis, samkaulis,

sakulto nivTebis, sabrZolo

da sameurneo iaraRisa da nu-

mizmatikis koleqciebi. gansa-

kuTrebiT sayuradReboa III aTas-

wleulis yuamiliani culebi

da yunwiani Subiswveri, II aTas-

wleulis xorblisa da fetvis

kremacirebuli marcvali, mi-

waTmoqmedebis iaraRebi, adre,

Sua da gvian brinjaosa da an-

tikuri xanis mniSvnelovani Ze-

glebi.

numizmatikis koleqciebidan

aRsaniSnavia: VI-II saukuneebis

kolxuri TeTri, giorgi II-is

vercxlis moneta, Turquli ayCa,

kirmaneuli da monRoluri mon-

etebi. gansakuTrebiT sayura-

dReboa aleqsandre makedone-

lis moneta - igi erT-erTia

saqarTvelos teritoriaze aR-

moCenili aleqsandres saxeliT

moWrili im 377 monetidan,

romelTagan 367 svaneTSia na-

povni.

aleqsandre makedonelis monetaThe coin of Alexander the Great

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Archeological excavations prove the existence of active cultural and social life in Svaneti from III mil-lennium B. C. whereas in ancient times, its integrity with Colchis – the land of Golden Fleece. There are many interesting exhibits in the lo-cal Museum including ceramics, jewelry, icons, weapons, and nu-mismatic collections. Some of the collections are of particular impor-tance, i.e. axes and spears dated back to III millennium B. C., wheat and millet grain crop dated II mil-lennium B.C., agricultural tools, and other significant monuments of early, middle and late Bronze Age, and of the ancient period.

As to the numismatic collections, it is necessary to mention 6th-2nd century Colchi Tetri, Lisimake silver coin of George II, Turkish akcha, and Mongolian coins. Speaking of numismatics collections of Svaneti, special attention should be attrib-uted to the coin of Alexander the Great. It is noteworthy that out of 377 coins minted in the name of Al-exander the Great, 367 were found in Svaneti.

culebi. III aTaswleuliAxes. 3rd millennium

giorgi III-is Sewiruli vercxlis sura. XII sSilver jug, donated by the King George III. 12th c

bagrat imerTa mefis Sewiruli vercxlis sura. XVIII s Silver jug, donated by the King Bagrat of Imereti. 18th c

xeze dawerili sabuTebi. XIV-XV ssWood documents. 14th -15th cc

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macxovari. RvTismSoblis karedi xatis fragmenti. XII-XIII ss The Saviour. Detail of the icon of the Virgin. 12th-13th cc

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jvarcmis xati. XI-XII ssThe icon of the Crucifixion. 11th -12th cc

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Cviledi RvTismSoblisa da wm barbares xati. IX-X ssThe Icon of the Virgin with the child and St Barbara. 9th-10th cc

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svaneTSi daculi qristianu-

li kulturis koleqciebi Sua

saukuneebis qarTuli, siri-

uli, bizantiuri Tu evropu-

li xelovnebis uamrav umniS-

vnelovanes Zeglebs moicavs.

qarTuli Wedurobis maRalmx-

atvruli nimuSebi saukuneTa

manZilze am dargis ganviTare-

bisTvis Tvalis midevnebis sa-

Sualebasac iZleva da Sua sau-

kuneebis saqarTveloSi mis

mniSvnelobasac warmoaCens.

muzeumis Weduri xatebis umrav-

lesoba svani ostatebis mier

aris Sesrulebuli. Tandar-

Tulma warwerebma zogierTis

saxelic Semoinaxa - muzeumSi

inaxeba XI saukunis ostatTa,

gvazavaisZeTa, naxelavi xate-

bi: dioklitianes mlaxvravi

wm. giorgisa (ostati asani) da

qriste pantokratorisa (os-

tatebi giorgi da Tevdore).

Collections of Christian culture pre-served in Svaneti comprise many of the most important samples of the Georgian, Byzantine, Syrian, and European arts of the Middle Ages. Masterpieces of Georgian chased arts that can be found in Svaneti give us an opportunity to trace the development of this field of art in Georgia emphasizing its signifi-cance in the Medieval Georgia. The majority of the chased icons repre-sented in the Museum are made by the Svan jewelers whereas many of the works still preserve the inscrip-tions with the names of the crafts-men, some of them being one fam-ily representatives. For instance, the Svaneti Museum preserves several 11th century icons made by the representatives of Gvazavais-dze family: icon of St. George slay-ing Diokletian (craftsman Asan) and icon of Christ Pantocrator (masters Giorgi and Theodore).

siriuli sacecxlurebi. VI-VII ssCensers from Syria. 6th-7th cc

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wm. meomrebis xati. XIII sThe icon of Saint Warriors. 13th c

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wm. miqael mTavarangelozis xati. XIII sThe icon of Archangel Michael. 13th c

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muzeumis unikalur qarTul

ferwerul xatebs Soris e.w.

dedaqalaquri skolis nimuSic

araerTia da - e.w. xalxuri na-

kadis ostatTa mier Sesrule-

bulic. aRsaniSnavia: maTgan

uadresi, Cviledi RrmTismSo-

beli da wm. barbare (IX-Xss.);

aseve wm. iona winaswarmetyve-

lis (XIIs.), Cviledi RvTismSob-

lis (XIIs.), wm. giorgis (XIIIs.),

wm. mxedrebis (XIIIs.), wm. gabri-

el mTavarangelozis (XI-XIIss.),

ormoci sebastieli mowamis

(XIIs.); macxovrisa (XI-XIIss.)

da lazares aRdginebis (XIIs.)

xatebi. gamorCeulia muzeumSi

daculi reliqvariumebi, rom-

lebic WedurobiT Semkul fer-

werul xatebs warmoadgens da

saukeTeso ostatTa naxela-

via. maT Sorisaa: jvarcmis (XI

-XIIss.) da rusudan dedoflis

aRmzrdelis - silixanis mier

Sewiruli (XIIIs.) xatebi.

Among the unique Georgian paint-ed icons, there are many samples of the so-called conventional as well as of the autodidactic school of icon painting. Among the earliest icons preserved in the Museum are Virgin with the Child and St. Barba-ra (9th - 10th centuries); St. John the Prophet (12th century), Virgin with the Child (12th century), St. George (13th century), St. Horsemen (13th-

century), Saint Gabriel Archangel (11th – 12th centuries), Forty Se-bastian Martyrs, (12th century), The Savior (11th – 12th centuries), The Raising of Lazarus (12th century). There are several painted icons in chased frames made by the promi-nent old iconographers, among them are the icons of St. Nicholas (11th – 12th centuries), Crucifixion (11th – 12th centuries), and several icons donated by Silikhan, tutor of Queen Rusudan (13th century).

vedrebis xati. XIII-XIV ssThe icon of the Deisis. 13th-14th cc

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wm. ormoci sebastieli mowamis xati. XII sThe icon of the Forthy Sebastian martyrs. 12th c

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aRsaniSnavia, muzeumis koleq-

ciebSi daculi VI-VII saukunis

brinjaos siriuli sacecx-

lurebi, saxarebis scenebis

reliefuri gamosaxulebebiT;

gamoyenebiTi xelovnebis uaR-

resad mniSvnelovani nimuSia

veneciaSi Seqmnili sakurTxev-

liswina jvari (XIII-XIV ss. mijna),

romelic svaneTSi `laTaij-

varis~ anu `Tvlebiani~ jvris

saxeliTaa cnobili. igi sam-

kaulad gamoyenebuli Zvir-

fasi da naxevradZvirfasi

qvebis, filigraniT Sesrule-

buli CarCoebis da budeebSi

Casmuli, etratze Sesrule-

buli ferweruli miniature-

bis unikalur mTlianobas war-

moadgens. aseve, sayuradReboa,

uSgulSi daculi, italiuri

medalionebi (XIIIs) da germanu-

li kaTxa (XIVs).

Museum collections preserve many samples of the 6th-7th century Syr-ian bronze censers with glyph im-ages from Gospel. Among the rar-est samples of applied arts is the Venetian Altar Cross (13th-14th cen-tury) known under the name Lataij-vari in Svaneti. The Cross is unique for its rare combination of precious and semi-precious stones, filigree frames and painted miniatures on parchment. Outmost importance is attributed to the 13th century Ital-ian medallions preserved in the Ushguli Museum as well as to the 14th century silver mug produced in Nuremberg, a silver egg-shaped vessel covered with glyph images whereas the tree trunk stem of the vessel is decorated with a miniature image of a man.

wm. meomrebi xatis fragmenti. XIIIsDetal of the icon of the Saint Warriors. 13th c

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veneciuri jvari. XIII-XIV ssThe Venice Cross. 13th-14th cc

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wm. nikolozis xati. XI-XII ss The icon of St. Nicholas. 11th-12th cc

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labsyaldis oTxTavi, moWedili yda. XII -XIII ssChased cover of Gospel of Labskaldi. 12th -13th cc

muzeumis xelnawerebis fondSi

daculia etratze da qaRaldze

Sesrulebuli, IX-XVIII sauku-

neebis sasuliero mwerlo-

bis Zeglebi - palimfsesturi

furclebi, WedurobiTa da

mxatvrobiT Semkuli wignebi.

aRsaniSnavia, 897 wels Sat-

berdSi gadawerili, TariRian

oTxTavebs Soris uZvelesi adi-

Sis oTxTavi; mestiis (1033w.),

labsyaldisa (XIIs.) da ienaSis

(XIIIs.) oTxTavebi.

The collection of Museum manu-scripts is famous for its theological treaties made on paper and parch-ment and dated from 9th-18th centu-ries. There are richly illustrated pa-limpsests framed in gold silver, and decorated with unique ornaments and miniatures – earliest of the dat-ed gospels Adishi Gospel re-written in Shatberdi in 897; Mestia Gospel re-written in Oshki Monastery in 1033; Labskaldi (12th century) and Ienashi Gospels (13th century).

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mestiis oTxTavi. 1033 w.Gospel of Mestia. 1033 AD

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mestiis oTxTavi. 1033 w.Gospel of Mestia. 1033 AD

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xelnawerTa koleqciaSi aseve

daculia X saukunis ieru-

salimis ganCineba (latalis

leqcionari) da X-XI saukunee-

bis, gamorCeuli kaligrafi-

uli nusxuriT Sesrulebuli

liturgikul-himnografiuli

krebulebi; wvirmis, ielis,

adiSis iadgarebi. maTSi VIII-X

saukuneebis bizantiuri him-

nografiis uZvelesi qarTu-

li Targmanebia Tavmoyrili.

aqvea, xeze dawerili sabuTe-

bi (XIV-XVss) da ZvelnabeWdi

wignebi (XVIII-XIXss.), maT Soris

- erekle II-is stambaSi dabeWdi-

li Tueni (XVIIIs.).

The manuscript collection also comprises the 10th century Canon of Jerusalem (Latali Lectionary), the earliest samples of liturgical and hymnographical collections dated back to 10th-11th centuries written in finest Nuskhuri (old Geor-gian writing) as well as the Tsvirmi, Ieli, Adishi liturgical and hymno-graphical collections that combine the earliest translations of 8th-10th century Byzantine hymnographical repertoire. There are documents dated back to 14th-15th centuries made on a piece of wood as well as old printed books of 18th-19th centu-ries, Georgian hymnographical col-lection of 18th century printed at the King Erekle’s printing house.

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adiSis oTxTavi. 897 w.Gospel of Adishi. 897 AD

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ienaSis oTxTavi. XIII s Gospel of Ienashi. 13th c

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wm. mTavarangelozi. RvTismSoblis karedi xatis fragmenti. XII-XIII ssArchangel. Detail of the icon of the Virgin. 12th-13th cc

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svaneTis tradiciuli yofa

muzeumSi mravalmxriv aris

warmodgenili: XIX saukunis fo-

toebiT; svanuri sacxovrisis

elementebiT (keria, ornament-

ebiT Semkuli xis sakarcxule-

bi, skivrebi, WurWeli); sameur-

neo da sabrZolo iaraRiT,

samkaulebiT da, rac mTavaria,

- mestiasa da uSgulSi mdebare

koSkebiT, romlebic dRemde

inaxavs aqaurTa saukunovan

rwmena-warmodgenebs. saxlis

qveda sarTulis (maCvibi, sgiri,

qori) centrSi gamarTuli ke-

ria, dedaboZi, ojaxis ufrosis

(maxvSi) savarZeli keriis win;

geometriuli da mcenareuli

ornamentiT, astraluri (mze,

mTavre) da zoomorfuli (xari,

jixvi) gamosaxulebebiT Semkuli

interieri da aveji dRemde war-

uSlel STabeWdilebas axdens.

Svanetian way of life is also broadly represented in the museum: 19th century Georgian and European photographic material; elements of Svanetian house (hearth, or-namented wooden beds, chests, and utensils); agricultural tools and fighting weapons; silver jew-elry; Svanetian clothing, and what is most important – old houses in Mestia and Ushguli. The Svanetian dwelling still well-reflects the tradi-tional mental outlook of the Svans where the hearth, pillar, wooden en-graved armchair of the head of the family (makhvshi in Svan language) located in the central part of the ground floor (machvibi, sgiri, kori in Svan language), furniture and interior decorated with geometrical, astral (sun, moon) and zoomorphic (bull, aurochs) images still make an indelible impression on the visitors.

wm. barbare da wm. marine. RvTismSoblis karedi xatis fragmenti. XII-XIII ssSt. Barbara and St. Marina. Detail of the icon of the Virgin. 12th-13th cc

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macxovris xati. XIsThe icon of the Saviour. 11thc

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wm. gabriel mTavarangelozis xatis fragmenti. XI-XIIssThe icon of Archangel Gabriel. Detail. 11th-12thcc