siRnaRis GEORGIAN NATIONAL MUSEUM muzeumi SIGNAGI saqarTvelos erovnuli muzeumi MUSEUM siRnaRis xedi View of Signagi siRnaRis regioni Signagi Region qalaqi siRnaRi kaxeTis teritoriaze, qiz- The city of Signagi is located in Kakheti’s iyis regionSi mdebareobs. qiziyi adreul region of Kiziki. Early historic documents call it istoriul dokumentebSi kambeCovanis Kambechovani. The sources describe the place saxeliT gvxvdeba. mas `ubatono qveyanas~ “land without the lord” only subordinate to the uwodebdnen, romelic uSualod mefes emor- king. Cileboda. The region became more advanced during the aRniSnuli regioni gansakuTrebiT qarTl- realm of Erekle II (1744-1789), the king of Kartl- kaxeTis mefis, erekle-II mmarTvelobis dros Kakheti. In 1762 He renovated the 2,5 km long (1744-1789 ww.) gaZlierda. man 1762 wels ga- stone Wall of Signagi with 23 towers and five naaxla `galavani siRnaRisa~, romlis gan- arched gates. Each tower and gate was given sakuTrebulobas ganapirobebs 40 heqtarze a name of Kakhatian villages (Magaro, Shilda, ganlagebuli grZeli (2,5km) qviTkiris Mirzaani, Bodbe, Vakiri e.a.). During invasions, the zRude 23 koSkiTa da 5 TaRovani karibWiT. castle would harbor residents and cattle from the calkeuli koSkisa da karibWisaTvis soflis neighboring villages. In war times every village saxelebi (maRaro, Silda, mirzaani, bodbe, would stand for its tower. vaqiri da sxva) daurqmeviaT. mtris Semose- With the collapse of the Kartl-Kakheti kingdom, in visas, cixe-galavanSi mezobeli soflebis 1802 Signagi became center of the administrative mosaxleoba saqonelTan erTad afarebda district in the Russian empire with a strategic Tavs. brZolis dros yvela sofeli Tavis importance because it bordered with Char- aSenebul koSks icavda. Belakan and Dagestan. By the decision of the qarTl-kaxeTis samefos gauqmebis Semdeg, Governor General of the Caucasus, 44th regiment 1802 wlidan, siRnaRi samazro centri gaxda. of the Russian Imperial Army was deployed to mas, War-belaqanTan da daRestanTan mosaz- the district with a task to provide security for the Rvreobis gamo, gansakuTrebuli strategiu- entire region. li mniSvneloba mieniWa. amitomac, kavkasiis In mid 19th c. town life style prevails in Signagi mTavarmarTeblis gadawyvetilebiT, mazra- with salon gatherings for the elite tea drinking and Si ruseTis imperatoris `44-e niJegorodis intellectual discussions. dragunTa~ polki ganTavsda, romelsac re- gionis dacva daevala. By the end of 19th c. a traveling theatre troupe was set up in Signagi. Musician trios playing Georgian XIX saukunis II naxevridan siRnaRSi fexs and oriental instruments were a popular attraction. ikidebs qalaquri cxovrebisaTvis damaxa- Several musical salons were created. Eventually siaTebeli, salonuri tipis saRamoebi, sa- Signagi became a cultural and trade center of the dac, umTavresad, inteleqtualuri elita region. ikribeboda. XIX saukunis bolosaTvis, siRnaRSi Seiqmna moZravi Teatraluri dasi, Camoyalibda qarTuli da aRmosavluri sakravieri sam- usiko dasebi, iqmneboda musikaluri sa- lonebi. siRnaRi regionis kulturul da savaWro centrad iqca. 3 siRnaRis muzeumi Signagi Museum kolorituli arqiteqturiT, mimzidveli Signagi is one of the liveliest tourist centers of geografiuli mdebareobiTa da unikaluri Georgia marked with charismatic architecture, eTnografiiT siRnaRi saqarTvelos erT- attractive geographic location and indigenous erTi yvelaze aqtiuri turistuli centria. ethnography. istoriul wyaroebSi qalaqi siRnaRi XVIII Historic chronicles first mention Signagi in the saukunis me-II naxevridan moixsenieba. second half of the 18th c. In 1802, after abolishment qarTl-kaxeTis samefos gauqmebis Semdeg, of the Kartl-Kakheti kingdom, Signagi became the 1802 wlidan, siRnaRi samazro centri xdeba center of the regional administrative unit created da ekonomikuri da kulturuli ganviTare- by Russia. During the same period, Signagi reached bis piks aRwevs. its prime in economic and cultural development. Tavdapirvelad muzeumi aq 1950 wels daars- The Museum in Signagi was founded in 1950. It da. 2007 wels igi saqarTvelos erovnul joined the Georgian National Museum in 2007. The muzeums SeuerTda. axali Senoba srulad building is now completely renovated, security SekeTda, damontaJda usafrTxoebis siste- systems installed, collections updated, and new mebi, Seivso muzeumis fondebi, moewyo axali expositions organized. eqspoziciebi. Signagi Museum is the first in the history of siRnaRis muzeumi saqarTvelos uaxles is- contemporary Georgia to meet the standards toriaSi pirvelia, romelic srulad akmay- of modern museography. The Museum houses ofilebs Tanamedrove samuzeumo standart- rich ethnographic, archaeological and medieval ebs. aq daculia mdidari eTnografiuli, da collections. Niko Pirosmanashvili’s magnificent arqeologiuri masala. painting collection is a true asset to the Museum. muzeumis erT-erT mTavar RirsSesaniSnao- bas ki niko firosmanis namuSevrebis brwyin- vale koleqcia warmoadgens. 4 xedi sakonferencio darbazidan View from the conference room 5 6 arqeologiis darbazi Archaeology hall 7 8 Sua saukuneebis darbazi Middle age hall 9 eTnografiis darbazi Ethnography hall arRani Arghani (Barrel organ) XIX s-is dasasruli Wood, incrustation. 19th c 10 niko firosmani losnoTa mepatroneTaTvis abrebsa da suraTebs. ojaxi ar hyolia. dro- dadro SeZlebisdagvarad qiraobda niko firosmanaSvili (firosmani) patara oTaxs sardafSi an kibis qveS, daibada 1862 wels, kaxeTis sofel xSirad Rames aTevda iq, sadac muSa- mirzaanSi (qiziyi), glexis ojaxSi. obda. firosmanis arsebobis mizani, igi adre daoblda da kaxeTis mdi- mowodeba, xatva iyo. mas Semoqmedis darma memamuleebma, kalantaro- gansakuTrebuli TviTdarwmune- vebma iSviles. male kalantarovebi bulobis, yvelasagan gamorCeulo- sacxovreblad TbilisSi gadavid- bis SegrZneba hqonda da garegnu- nen, sadac nikom TiTqmis mTeli ladac gansxvavdeboda Tavisi gare- cxovreba gaatara. profesiuli mocvisagan: icvamda `evropulad~, ganaTleba ar miuRia. damoukide- atarebda pijaks, xan qurTuks, rbi- blobis mosapoveblad xan Tbilisis li Teqis farTofarflian quds. duqnebSi, xan rkinigzaze muSaobda. 1912 wels qarTuli, rusuli da ev- Seecada komerciuli saqmianobisT- ropuli avangardis aqtiurma war- visac moekida xeli, magram warmate- momadgenelma –poetma ilia zdane- bas ver miaRwia. Tavs irCenda imiT, viCma (iliazdi) Tavis ZmasTan, mxat- rom xSirad lukma-puris, sasmelisa var kirile zdaneviCsa da mxatvar da saRebavebis safasurad xatavda mixeil le-dantiusTan erTad aR- duqnebis, ludxanebisa da saxe- moaCina firosmani da 1913 wels, av- firosmanis darbazi Pirosmani hall 11 angardistul gamofenaze –`miSen~ Niko Pirosmani (samizne), moskovSi, misi suraTebi pirvelad warmoadgina. Niko Pirosmanashvili (1862-1918) was born ilia zdaneviCma Semdgomi popula- to a peasant family in one of the regions of rizaciac gauwia mxatvars: aqveyneb- Georgia – Kakheti, in the village of Mirzaani. Or- da statiebs, sakuTar saxlSi, Tbi- phaned at an early age Nikala was adopted by lisSi, 1916 wels, moawyo misi gamo- the rich family of Kalantarovs living in Kakheti. fena. qarTvelma mxatvrebma, farTo Soon Kalantarovs moved to Tbilisi where Piro- sazogadoebam firosmani aRiara, smani spent the rest of his life. He had never Tumca misi cxovreba tragikulad received a professional education. Art was the dasrulda – firosmani 1918 wels goal of his whole being, his life’s vocation. For martoobaSi gardaicvala, ise, rom mere subsistence, he occasionally worked in misi saflavi dRemde ucnobia. Tbilisi “dukhans” (tavern), or at the rail station. saaRdgomo batkani Lamb, Easter table and angels 1914-15, muSamba, zeTi. 80x100 sm 1914-15, oil on oil-cloth. 80x100 cm 12 He did attempt to set up a business, but to no 1916. Pirosmani’s photo and a reproduction of avail. The artist’s life was hard and tragic. He of- his painting were published in the newspaper ten made his living by drawing signboards and “Tsnobis Purtseli” (“Messenger”). Pirosmani paintings for dukhan, pub and workshop own- was being recognized by Georgian artists and ers in exchange for bread, wine and paint. The the broad public. Shortly after, for some curi- artist was homeless and lonely. Whenever he ous reason that still remains unsolved, the could afford it, he would rent a small room in same newspaper published the artist’s carica- the basement or under the staircase. He would ture. This had a fatal impact on the artist’s life – often spend the night where he worked. Scarce Pirosmani’s inner and physical state worsened. and randomly told stories portray the image of From time to time, the admirers of his art paid a man with deep spirituality and original men- him visits to offer help. In 1916, young artists tality. He was aware that he stood out from the Lado Gudiashvili, David Kakabadze, Mikhail people of his world and that he possessed the Chiaureli visited him. He was last seen by Lado unique self-assertion of a creator. He did con- Gudiashvili in 1917. Pirosmani passed away sider himself an artist and his looks differed as in loneliness and obscurity in 1918. Even the well: he dressed in a “European” style, he wore location of his grave remains unknown. As it suits or sometimes jackets and a wide-brimmed, usually is the case, after his death, the artist’s soft felt hat. works were collected and bought, references Pirosmani, as an artist, was first discovered about his life were sought, and publications in 1912 by Ilya Zdanevich (Ilyazd), a poet and started to flood the newspapers. Pirosmani’s an active representative of Georgian, Russian name and his works were famed and appreci- and European avant-garde, his brother art- ated worldwide.