The FINANCIAL — There are very few valuable antiques remaining in Georgian antique shops, shop owners in Tbilisi say. Most antique pieces were originally brought in to the country from Russia, but almost everything was either bought by foreigners or left the country by 2000.
Some exhibits in antique shops are dated at the end of the nineteenth and beginning of the twentieth century, but many items are modern pieces of art, brought by dealers from Europe.
“I’m sure there’s almost nothing left in Georgia valuable enough to be exhibited at the Sotheby’s Auction. Everything you see here is the private property of people, who are selling them because of financial pressure. Sometimes they don’t even bring them to the shops and instead advertise them on the internet,” said Mr. John, one of the antique shop owners on Vorontsovi Str.
According to Marina Tsalkalamanidze, the Director of Diadema, a prestigious antique shop located on Marjanishvi Str., the overall attitude towards antiques has changed in recent times. A Japanese minimalistic style has become very popular nowadays. Fans of antique items have decreased in number. Some people, even those for whom money is not an issue, prefer to replace their antique vases with modern items, because they don’t like old things, whether they’re antique or not. As experts say, modern society is also captured by prejudice. They say that antique items carry with them an aura which prevents them from buying things which were others’ property in the past. The most unpopular antique item today is a mirror.
“For that reason we can never estimate how long one particular item will remain in our shop, it could be that someone buys it at once, or else we have to wait a long time for someone to appear who loves antiquity and can afford to buy it,” said Tsalkalamanidze.
Five years ago Giorgi Dekanosidze found a painting by Irakli Gamrekeli in his grandparent’s home in one of the villages of Georgia. Irakli Gamrekeli was a painter-decorator of the theatre in the twentieth century, who was fond of modernism and worked with very famous producers like Sandro Akhmeteli and Kote Marjanishvili. Before he became a painter Gamrekeli studied medicine. Dekanosidze noted that the portrait is painted at exactly that time and costs less than his other paintings. Apart from this, his signature is in Russian, which Gamrekeli almost never did. It is a portrait of Tolstoy in nature, painted at the beginning of the 20th century. He doesn’t know how this painting appeared in his grandparents’ house, but decided to sell the antique piece of art for 10,000 USD. Though he claims its real worth was much more.
“Because of the signature some doubts were risen about its authenticity and I decided to prove it in the National Museum, but they refused because of financial issues. After that many experts, museums and galleries proved that it was indeed a Gamrekeli and that there was no need to value it again. It cost about 50,000 GEL, but I needed money urgently. That’s why I sold it for a much lower price,” said Dekanosidze.
Experts in the shop Diadema said that estimation of antiques’ quality and prices requires certain steps be followed. It has to be compared with other exhibits, as parallels should be found between two pieces by the same artist or craftsman. It has to be checked, how widespread it is, and also what state the item is in. 20-30 years ago the Georgian National Museum used to send an assistant to every antique shop. If they found something very valuable or special, the Georgian National Museum of Art would buy it directly from the owner.
Ana Verulashvili, Public Relations Manager of the Georgian National Museum said that they don’t have the opportunity as yet to resurrect the process of the Museum buying exhibits from shops. These days they get donations from private owners or collectors.
“Recently there was a case of a private person making a donation of the details of a woman’s dress and clay bowl, both from the 19th century. People who understand the value of antique things generally give them to the museum to protect. That way the next generations can also see the unique exhibits of past life,” said Verulashvili.
“A bronze twin statue, a French lantern with a marble stand, evaluated at 36,000 GEL is the most expensive exhibit at that moment in the shop. The statue dates back to the beginning of the 19th century. A similar lamp can be found in the Sotheby’s catalogue. It estimates that the lantern used to be a decorative piece of art in a 19th century French ball-room.
In comparison to people who aren’t prejudiced against antiques, those who love antiques and appreciate their real worth ironically can’t afford them usually.
We always frankly evaluate how much this or that antique piece costs. At the same time we say the real price and how it can be sold. Pieces of art are always worth more, but in recent times prices have been much lower. When somebody comes and brings something very expensive to us, we advise them not to put it on sale right now. I’m sure the situation will change in the future and they will be able to sell their property at the price it really costs,” said Tsalkalamanidze.
Banks and Finances reported that one of the most beautiful places in Tbilisi, the Dry Bridge became a place of antique auctioning long ago. It’s an open-air gallery where normal people can earn some money for day-to-day living by selling antiques and modern pieces of art. No fixed prices exist in this place. Sometimes you can buy a valuable item for far less than its actual cost. Tbilisi Auction House, which is the only standing auction in the whole of the Trans-Caucasus region, has never held any auction for antiques. As the Manager of Tbilisi Auction House told The FINANCIAL, the only case of that happening was last year, when somebody bought two paintings of famous Georgian painters.
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