Some Observations about the Social Status of Medieval Georgian Goldsmiths

Abstract

The paper discusses the social status of medieval Georgian goldsmiths and silversmiths as revealed in inscriptions preserved on various church artifacts. The commissioning and creation of works of ecclesiastical art were important forms of manifesting piety in the Middle Ages, demonstrating a specific type of communication system elaborated within the Orthodox culture. In the complex process of creating and embellishing works of church art, the commissioners and masters were involved in various manners, and are mentioned on the dedicatory inscriptions of the artifacts, thus revealing the social status of Medieval Georgian goldsmiths and silversmiths.

Medieval Georgian precious metal icons, crosses, book covers and liturgical implements have preserved up to sixty “autographs” of masters, which is a unique situation in the history of medieval art. Masters’ inscriptions are placed together with those of high-ranking commissioners. The inclusion of the masters’ names in the works of liturgical arts indicates the appreciation of their craftsmanship. Somewhat standard, laconic texts preserved the terms used for producers of such precious artifacts. They are referred to as “masters”, “goldsmiths”, and “creators”. The names of masters appeared together with the names of monarchs (e. g. King Tamar, Bagrat’ III), powerful noblemen (e. g. Dadiani family members), and high hierarchs (e. g. Ioane of Ancha). Numerous precious metal icons of the kings and princes of Imereti and Samegrelo produced in the 16^th-18^th centuries also contain the names of masters.

The material discussed in the paper demonstrates that the goldsmiths “presented” on the church artifacts are integrated into the social hierarchical system and in turn reveals the special status and importance of goldsmiths in medieval Georgia.