Attempts to Establish Foreign Analogies of the Plant Ornament of Racha Iconostases of the X Century

Abstract

Figurative-ornamental relief samples of artistic processing of Racha stone of the 10th century are united in three individual workshops of different chronological stages on the basis of artistic-stylistic similarity. In the decoration of these monuments, including stone iconostases, it is worth noting the diverse ornamental repertoire built on plant-geometric motifs. Of the above mentioned, several characteristic motifs of plant ornament of Racha stone iconostases of the 10th century are presented. They are discussed in the context of comparison with parallel materials of other modern Georgian monuments. On the basis of comparative analysis of the monuments of Italy, Croatia, Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and Egypt in stone, wood material and stucco of the 8th-9th centuries, the issue of the existence of foreign analogies of decorative motifs used in Georgian examples is confirmed. Which, in a broad historical-cultural context, should indicate the links of Georgian art of the 10th century with modern Eastern and Western civilizations and, accordingly, the mutual influence of artistic trends characteristic of the era.