Bedia Chalice
Bedia Chalice is an important piece of the medieval Georgian goldsmithery. The chalice is made of pure gold (height 12.5 cm, diameter 14 cm; the base was not preserved).
There is an inscription in Asomtavruli script just below the rim and according to it Abkhazian King Bagrat III and his mother, Queen Gurandukht, donated the chalice to the newly built Bedia Cathedral. The cathedral was completed in 999 so the chalice is dated to the same period. The surface of the chalice is divided into 12 segments and there is a figure embossed in each of the 12 segments. Two figures, which are on the opposite sides, stand out: Christ sitting on a throne and Virgin Mary with Jesus in her arms. There are figures of apostles and evangelists on both sides of them. The head and facial features (especially those of Christ and Mary) are modelled. Some figures are less expressive and lack individuality. The hallmarks of Georgian goldsmithing of the 10th-11th centuries were clearly reflected in the engraving of the Bedia Chalice.
The Bedia Chalice is preserved in the Shalva Amiranashvili Museum of Fine Arts.
Literature: ჩ უ ბ ი ნ ა შ ვ ი ლ ი გ., ბედიის ოქროს ბარძიმი, «საქართველოს სახელმწ. მუზეუმის მოამბე», 1940, ტ. 10 B; მისივე, ქართული ოქრომჭედლობა VIII–XVIII სს., თბ., 1957; მისივე, Грузинское чеканное искусство, Тб., 1959.
R. Kenia
