Georgian embroidery design and techniques are part of the rich heritage of the Caucasus. Although sharing the Caucasus with Armenia, Azerbaijan and a number of smaller states and communities, all have definite parameters as to their textile work, and embroidery is no different.
Spinning, weaving and dying, using home grown fleece and dye ingredients, have been important elements of Georgia's textile industry for at least the last three thousand years, if not before. It is no surprise then that embroidery should also be an integral part of Georgia's textile output, and is probably as old as the weaving and spinning industry.
Much of the embroidery techniques used were for domestic consumption and embroidery was often used as an embellisher for any number of articles including household linen, book covers and costume, which could be for everyday and special occasion costume.
The textile crafts were encouraged by the church and many of the traditional skills such as weaving, spinning, dying and embroidery were taught through a network of monasteries throughout Georgia, both for the local aristocracy and as a means of income for the population as a whole.
Much of the embroidery design work was either floral or geometric based, with a particularly strong influence coming up from the Turkish Empire to the south, which introduced a number of innovations in both design and dying techniques.
The illustration shown here was produced by the Soviet Union for the 1925 Exposition Internationale des Arts Decoratifs et Industriels Moderne in Paris, where the Union, wishing to show the cosmopolitan nature of the country, expressed it through a collection of traditional embroidery from across the Union.
However, the standard and range of traditional embroidery in Georgia, as well as many of the other states of the Soviet Union, had steadily dwindled and was practiced by fewer and fewer individuals as the twentieth century progressed.
Georgian embroidery, along with Georgian textile crafts in general, has now seen a great re-emergence. This has much to do with the work of the Georgian Textile Group (GTG), which was founded in the 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union. It was formed in part to give some much needed help and support to the often isolated traditional textile craft workers of the country, and also to give the traditions of Georgian textile work a window on the international stage. The GTG has achieved so much and is such a varied and interesting group both with its work inside and outside Georgia that it is well worth visiting their comprehensive and interesting website.
Further reading links:
Embroidery: Traditional Designs, Techniques, and Patterns from All over the World
Georgian Textile Group (GTG)
