The Arts of Ancient Georgia [antikvár]

Foreword Over the last decades, the West has begun to wake up, perhaps belatedly, to the spectacular art and architectural treasures of Georgia in the Caucasus. This land of great natural beauty is a paradise for lovers of medieval churches and icons, of sculpture, jewellery and metalwork. A small band of cognoscenti, among whom we could include such names as Sir Fitzroy Maclean and Mr Dávid Garnett, have started to initiate the Western public into the unique qualities of Georgián civilization. However, although several monographs have been published in the West dealing with individual aspects of the subject, there has until now been a great need for a single comprehensive study surveying in detail the evolution of Georgián art from the Bronzé Age to the threshold of modern times. Georgia is the fabled land of Jason and the Argonauts, and of the enchantress Medea and her Golden Fleece; it is alsó the country which witnessed the fate of Prometheus, who stole for mankind the secrets of the almighty gods. Georgia is renowned for the beauty of her women and the virile dignity of her young men, for the splendour of her scenery and cultural monuments, and for her traditions of hospitality and knightly prowess, all of which continue to flourish today. About the middle of the 19th century, a Russian Viceroy of the Caucasus, Prince Vorontsov, wrote: 'This little Georgia will become in time the most beautiful, the most durable piece of gold brocade woven into the many-coloured patchwork of mighty Russia.' Not long after this, a British traveller and diplomát, Sir Olivér Wardrop, commented: 'There is no reason why Georgia should not become as popular a resort as Norway or Switzerland.' These prophecies, in their various ways, have indeed come true, or are on their way to doing so. Travellers from many parts of the world today enjoy visiting Georgia, and often form a lasting attachment to the land and people. The 2nd International Symposium of Georgián Art took place in Tbilisi and at Alaverdi and Gelati in May 1977, and was attended by nearly two hundred scholars, art historians and museum curators from many countries including Great Britain, Francé, Italy, Greece, the Federal Republic of Germany and the Germán Democratic Republic, Yugoslavia, Bulgaria, Romania and the United States of America. In recent years, the British public has had several opportunities of enjoying the performances of the Georgián National Dance Ensemble, founded by Iliko Sukhishvili and Nino Ramishvili, which has appeared at the Royal Albert Hall. Four different translations of Georgia's national epic, The Man in the Panther's Skin, by the medieval bard Shota Rustaveli, have appeared in English, in addition to renderings in Russian, Armenian, Japanese, Hungárián, French, Germán and Italian. These are somé of the reasons why I consider the publication of the present volume to be particularly timely. I have personally known the joint authors for many years, and have always admired their writings and their devotion to the cause of Georgián art. This devotion has been evinced repeatedly by indefatigable work on the scholarly front, by energetic conservation work, and by technical expertise in making their discoveries available in published form. When I first saw the originál Germán edition of this book, published by Edition Leipzig, I urged my friends at Thames and Hudson to secure the translation rights without delay. I was delighted that they agreed with my high assessment of the work, and that they at once took the necessary steps to acquire the English-language rights. I would not wish to conclude this foreword without paying tribute to the founder of the modern school of Georgián art historians, the late Academician Giorgi Chubinashvili, for many years Director of the Institute of History of Georgián Art of the Georgián Academy of Sciences. It was Professor Chubinashvili who prepared the way for the present efflorescence of Georgián art studies, and he was the teacher of the authors of the present work, as well as being a friend whose encouragement and example meant much to me personally. Nor must we forget the work of his great contemporary, the late Professor Shalva Amiranashvili, for many years Director of the Georgián State Museum of Art, one of whose achievements was the formation of a collection of chased and jewelled icons which is the envy of the entire world of art. Anyone who picks up this book is bound to be struck by the exceptional quality of the illustrations, both in colour and in black and white. The majority of these are the work of the talented photographic artist