Nino Datunashvili
PhD in Ethnology
Georgian National Museum
Chief curator of Medieval
Archaeological Collection
Tbilisi, Georgia
ORCID
Nino Datunashvili
PhD in Ethnology
Georgian National Museum
Chief curator of Medieval
Archaeological Collection
Tbilisi, Georgia
ORCID
Costume of Georgian Kings
(History, Typology)
In the history of Georgian costumes of the Middle Ages, the clothes of the kings have long been the subject of special interest to scientists. However, the types of royal costumes and the typology of their component individual elements, in the historical sense, have not been carried out until now. Our goal was to study the royal Georgian costume from this side. The research of the mentioned issue is possible through means of written sources, fine art and numismatic specimens. Material stuff reached us only in the form of the garment (akhalukhi, dress, socks, chakhsakravi) of Teimuraz II (1700-1762) King of Kartl-Kakheti and the khalati and belt of King Erekle II (1720-1798) and khalati of Aleksander Batonishvili (1770-1844).
The earliest images of Georgian kings survived on the façade reliefs of Tao-Klarjeti temples. The first distinguished sample is the image of Ashot I Curopalat on the 9th-century church of St. John the Baptist of the Opiza Monastery. Portraits of Kings are the most common in monumental painting. Early depictions are represented in the lower register of the west wing of the Sioni Temple of Ateni. From the 15th century, royal portraits also appear on hammer-worked icons. Individual patterns are found in manuscript illustrations, on coins and in easel paintings.
Based on written sources and visual material at our disposal, 5 types of royal garments can be distinguished during our study period: 1) Georgian costumes; 2) Byzantine costumes; 3) Oriental costumes; 4) Warrior costumes; 5) Athonc costumes. The first, second and third clothes are divided into certain subtypes according to the composition of the set or the design of individual elements of the outfit.
The first type of garment is found in the 9th-13th centuries. Its main characteristic element is a dress, which, in turn, is divided into three types. They mainly differ from each other in the shape of the collar and the skirt of the dresses. The garment of the second type of royal clothes – the Byzantine type costume – is divided into two sets according to the component elements: I. Consisting of a long shirt for wearing inside, surplice, pelerine, thigh-high boot, royal insignia – a crown and a scepter; II. Garments consisting of a long shirt for wearing inside, surplice, neck chain, loron, pelerine, headwear, footwear (thigh-high boots, heeled shoes) and the royal insignia – a crown, a sceptre and a sphere. The first set of Byzantine costumes was common in the 10th century and in turn, is divided into two groups. The second set of Byzantine costumes with different variations can be found continuously during the 10th-18th centuries on the images of Georgian Kings, as well as on images of the ruling nobles of this or that region of Georgian in the late centuries. The King of Georgia is traditionally, represented with neck chains, loron, armlets, surplices and crowns. They wore long shirts for wearing inside surplices. Cloaks and high heel shoes appeared, mainly, from the 16th century. Each component element of the costume is divided into separate groups according to patterns and decorated groups according to patterns and decorations. Among the royal insignia, the crown appears on almost all royal portraits and it is mentioned in all descriptions of the coronation rituals. A scepter is found from the 10th century and a sphere from the 12th century. Among them, the image of the scepter prevails.
The third type of royal costume – the oriental garment – consists of a a long shirt for wearing inside, a dress, a cloak with false sleeves, headwear (a turban, a crown) and footwear (socks, shoes, slippers). The first samples appear in the 10th century on the reliefs of Tbeti and Kumurdo temples and then, mainly, this type of costume is characteristic of the 17th century.
We called the fourth type of costume warriors’ garments. Georgian King Giorgi III (1154-1184) is represented with an armor on the copper coin minted in 1174 year. The fifth type of costume – Athonic garment – is seen in Gremi on the image of Levan – the 16th
century King of Kakheti.
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