XXXI Международный конгресс ИИСАА. 23–25 июня 2021 г. Т. 1

166 XXXI Международный Конгресс по источниковедению и историографии стран Азии и Африки Секция V best example of this is the fresco of Rati Surameli 1 , the Grand-duke of Kartli and son of Bega Surameli, a nobleman of George III's (1156–1184) epoch (Illustration 9). Rati is portrayed wearing a large hat in this fresco of Vardzia 2 . From our point of view, this type of headgear would be worn by a state official, indicating the social and political status of Surameli. The hat is in the form of a half-cut pear, at the top of which the stem looks like a pennant. To the front there is pinkish ribbon edging the central detail that is embellished with arrows, and there is a tall, rectangular-shaped back attached on the reverse side (Illustration 10). The headgear undoubtedly had an ostentatious appearance, signifying stature or position. Such hats with slightly different elevated cones were quite popular in 15 th century Europe. The attire of men depicted on rugs made in Belgium in 1475–1490s illustrate this fact well (the rugs are preserved in the Victoria andAlbert Museum in London, inventory number 6–1887) (Illustration 11). Nonetheless, there is much resemblance to be found between the presented hat and the headgear of a man depicted in an al-Jazari manuscript (Illustration 12). The man, painted in Syria or Egypt in the 13–14 cc., is wearing a hat almost identical to that of Surameli’s headdress, which leads us to believe that this attribute of vestment arrived in Georgia from precisely this region. 3 Shergil Dadiani, Eristavi of Samegrelo 4 wears the same type of hat, but slightly altered. His headdress is so richly decorated that we think it must have been an attribute of the Odisha's nobility. The hat is finished with a golden ball headband. We see a clover ornament at its tip, and a row of pearls at the base. A similarly graceful ornament adorns the entire length of the hat on the right side. Presumably, these ornaments would more likely have been made of metal than embroidery. The head- dress is finished with a triangular-shaped fur decoration. At its centre we also see a triangular ornament decorated with pearls. The manner, richness, and abundance of pearls adorning the headdress clearly indicate the stature of the owner (Illustration 13). For this reason, Ivane Javakhishvili remarked that “men's headdresses differed among officials according to their position ... The most noticeable and characteristic 1 Duke of South Georgia. 2 Vardzia is a cave monastery site in southern Georgia. The main period of construction was the second half of the twelfth century. 3 Cat. 18. “Automaton Pouring Wine”. Miniature from a copy of al-Jazari’s Kitab fi ma’rifat al-hiyal al-handasiyya (Book of Knowledge of Ingenious Mechanical Devices) Syria or Egypt; Ramadan 715 H = December 1315 The leaf H: 31.5; W: 22 cm. The David Collection. Copenhagen. See also: Folio from a copy of Automata by al-Jazari, Kitab fi ma’arifat al-hiyal al-handasiyya (The book of knowledge of ingenious mechanical devices), recto: Mechanical Device for Pouring a Drink; Mamluk period, 1354. Henri Vever col- lection, Smithsonian. Accession Number S1986.108. 4 Mingrelia is a historic province in the western part of Georgia, formerly known as Odishi. It is primarily inhabited by the Mingrelians, a subgroup of Georgians.