Ornamental Decor System of the Capital of the Bolnisi Stone Cross

Abstract

In the medieval Christian art ornaments have a complex aesthetic and symbolic meaning. Throughout centuries ornamental patterns were enriched with motives from various cultures. The adaptation of „alien“ motives by the Christian art resulted in creation of their new meanings corresponding to the religious needs and theological concept. In the early medieval Georgian art carved ornaments are preserved in church decoration and on stone crosses, original cult monuments dated back to the 6th – 7th cc. The paper deals with the ornamental decoration of a capital of the 6th century stone cross kept in the Bolnisi Museum, and its relations with the main artistic tendencies of the epoch. Unfortunately, only the upper part – capital is preserved from high stone-cross. The cross is the main element of the decoration of the capital, which is surrounded by vegetal and geometric ornaments. Two sides of the capital has the cross inscribed in medallion composed from triangles. The third side has six-petaled rosette in medallion, which could be perceived as a synonym of the cross. The relief composition is well fitted to the shape of the capital. Despite of various ornamental motives incorporated into the decoration system of the capital the entire decoration represents a well-bound unity. Combination of geometrical and vegetal patterns is based on the artistic and symbolic meaning of these motives. The composition of the Bolnisi capital can be „read“ as a „text“, where each element is charged with its own symbolic and aesthetic meaning. The rich and complex visual system of the capital from the Bolnisi Museum allows to consider peculiarities of the „ornamental vocabulary“ of the early medieval Georgian sculpture and its cultural contexts.