GEORGIAN EMBROIDERY AND TEXTILES COLLECTION

PROJECT > Mariam Gvelesiani

Epitaphion. Lamentation. Sachkhere, West Georgia. Central scene 14th century, inscription 1510-1565

Epigonation. Composition Descent of the Holy Spirit.

East Georgia. Second half of the 17th century

Decorative and applied arts have played an important role in the development of Georgian art. Georgian embroidery is an important yet

understudied area of traditional arts and largely unknown to the general public. Most Georgian embroidery collections are kept at the Shalva

Amiranashvili Museum of Fine Arts, part of the Georgian National Museum.

The museum’s collection was initia-

ted in the second half of the 19th 

century, linked to the activities of

two former organizations, the Society

for Spreading Literacy and the Georgian

Historical and Ethnographic Society. La-

ter the collection received items from

the Church Museum, donations by pri-

vate individuals and items purchased

by the Museum. Some of these were

acquired by Ekvtime Takaishvili and

Giorgi Bochoridze during their expedi-

tions to various parts of Georgia. Today

the embroidery items in the collection

number more than 5,000 and are typo-

logically divided into two groups: 1)

church-related items and clothing for

clergy, and 2) secular items.

Georgian embroidery masters, most

of whom were noblewomen, used their

creative imagination, religious imagery

and exquisite artistic skills and fine

taste to create world class works of art

infused with national specificities. The

artistic value of these objects of Geor-

gian cultural heritage is so high that

they have become part of the world's

cultural heritage.

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After the Embroidery and Tex-

tiles Collection was separated

from the Treasury Department

of the Museum of Fine Arts

in 1979, a separate stora-

ge space was alloca-

ted for the collec-

tion. However,

the insufficient

number of

wooden cabi-

nets in the faci-

lity did not ensure

adequate storage,

and hundreds of pieces of

embroidery, most adorned

with gemstones, were stored

tightly packed on top of each

other and folded, causing dama-

ge to the fragile gold and silver thre-

ads often used in embroidery.

In 2006, the Georgian National

Museum submitted a project for a

grant announced by the US Embassy

Ambassador’s Fund for Cultural Preser-

vation that envisaged the preservation

and conservation of the Embroidery

and Textiles Collection of the Shalva

Amiranashvili Museum of Fine Arts. This

project was funded and implemented

in 2006-2008. It meant that artifacts

were placed in new iron cabinet

facilities that comply with mo-

dern norms of textile storage.

 The database of artifacts

was digitized and resto-

ration and conser-

vation activities

saved hundre-

ds of unique

e m b r o i d e r y

items. In June

2008, an exhi-

bition of embroi-

dery and textiles, I

Embroidered This Glory, 

was held at the Museum of

Fine Arts. In addition to the

items themselves, photos of

the reconstruction and restora-

tion works in progress were on dis-

play. The exhibition showing Georgian

embroidery was the first presented on

such a large scale, and generated gre-

at public interest. The exhibition was

followed by the publication of a cata-

logue and two illustrated monographs,

an educational booklet and cards. The-

se activities demonstrated the great

significance of this discipline of Geor-

gian art, which is important for both its

aesthetic and historical value.

*

Mitre. East Georgia. 16th-17th centuries

Epitaphion. Lamentation. Tsilkani, East Georgia. 1686

Sakkos. Composition "The Twelve Great Church Fes-

tivals". Asomtavruli explanatory inscription. Imereti,

Georgia. First half of the 18th century* Apparel. Christ the Saviour. Georgia. 18th century